Srujana Pydi
For most magicians, the stage is a place of wonder, applause and entertainment. For Kala Ratna and Hamsa Awardee V. Madhava Rao, however, the stage has a far deeper purpose. For more than three decades, he has taken the art of magic beyond conventional entertainment, using it as a medium to educate, inform and empower people in some of the most remote tribal and rural regions of Bharat.
Described as an “Industrial Magician” and known for his social commitment, Madhava Rao has built a unique identity by combining magic with messages on financial literacy, savings, water conservation, environmental protection, healthcare and social responsibility.
His journey was not originally destined for the world of magic. A civil engineer who worked with the Public Works Department, Madhava Rao eventually chose to leave his professional career and dedicate himself to social service. Magic became the vehicle through which he could reach communities that conventional awareness campaigns often struggle to access.
For him, forests, hillocks, village squares and remote habitations have been stages. His audience has included tribal communities living in areas where even basic road connectivity remains a challenge. Rather than waiting for people to come to him, he has often walked into such areas to conduct his programmes.
The central idea behind his performances is simple: entertainment should leave behind knowledge.
Over the years, Madhava Rao has worked with institutions including the Reserve Bank of India, NABARD, Indian Overseas Bank, Andhra Bank, Indian Bank and Syndicate Bank to conduct awareness programmes. Through his performances, he has sought to explain the importance of saving money through banks, the dangers of fraudulent financial schemes and the value of financial discipline.
His social messaging extends well beyond banking. Water conservation, groundwater protection, forest preservation, check dams and watershed management have become recurring themes in his programmes. Recently, the organisation “Sankalpam” conducted his magic programmes at Pithapuram focusing on water management. The objective was to create awareness about conserving water, protecting groundwater and maintaining check dams and watersheds.
NABARD has had a particularly significant association with Madhava Rao. His programmes with the institution over the past decade have taken him into remote and forested areas, giving him an opportunity to communicate directly with rural and tribal communities.
His commitment to social service is equally visible outside the magic stage. As a Rotary Club secretary, Madhava Rao organised programmes through Rotary, Lions Club and other voluntary organisations and helped raise ₹2.40 lakh in 1990 for the welfare of leprosy patients and persons with disabilities. He was also associated with the Polio Plus campaign and contributed to efforts aimed at increasing awareness about polio vaccination.
He has supported healthcare initiatives too, including efforts that resulted in hundreds of cataract operations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he distributed food packets to people travelling on national highways and used his performances to spread public-health awareness. He also propagated the “Umbrella Theory” developed by Dr Kutikuppala Surya Rao as part of COVID-19 prevention messaging.
Blood donation is another cause close to him. Madhava Rao has encouraged people to donate blood through his performances and has himself been a blood donor.
His contribution has brought him considerable recognition. He has received 18 national awards and more than 20 State-level awards, besides performing in Malaysia and Singapore, where he also received recognition. He was conferred the Keerthi Puraskar in 2022 by Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad, and is a recipient of the Hamsa Award and Kala Ratna honour.
His recent recognition came on the occasion of NABARD Foundation Day 2026, when he received the NABARD Award from Udayabhaskar, Chief General Manager, NABARD Telangana, and Dana Kishore, Chief Additional Secretary, Telangana State.
For Madhava Rao, however, an award is not an endpoint. It is an added responsibility.
In a country aspiring to build a more inclusive and developed society, his journey offers an unusual lesson: social awareness does not always have to come through a classroom, a lecture or a government circular. Sometimes, it can arrive through a disappearing coin, a surprising illusion or a seemingly impossible trick—and leave behind a message that remains long after the applause has faded.
For Madhava Rao, magic is not merely an art. It is a mission.
