From salon to the court: A Telangana barber’s inspirational journey

From being a barber to becoming a lawyer, it was a journey full of challenges for this man, who is now an inspiration to many.

Yellandu (Kothagudem): From being a barber to becoming a lawyer, it was a journey full of challenges for this man, who is now an inspiration to many.

The passion for the legal profession has driven 42-year-old barber, Pettugudi Dhanunjaya Rao of Yellandu town, to continue his studies and to earn a law degree. He runs a hair salon, Dhanu’s Hair Style at Govind Centre in the town.

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“To become a lawyer was my long cherished dream and I am very happy to be able to achieve it. I wanted to join LLB soon after completing intermediate in 2003 but could not do so. In order to make an earning, I started a hair salon the same year,” he said.He worked in a foreign exchange firm in Hyderabad for some time and returned to Yellandu to look after the hair salon as his father Rama Swamy’s health deteriorated. But his desire to become a lawyer remained in his heart and finally decided to appear for LAWCET.

After qualifying in the test in 2018, he got LLB admission in Adarsha Law College in Hanamkonda and he finished the course in 2023. He enrolled himself as an advocate with the Bar Council of Telangana a few days ago. He said he faced financial and logistic problems in completing LLB.“If a person has dedication and perseverance anything could be achieved. And my love for the legal profession has made me earn a law degree by clearing the exams in my first attempt. I used to prepare for exams whenever I found free time in the shop,” Dhanunjaya Rao told Telangana Today.

He is now planning to serve as a junior under a senior lawyer in Yellandu to learn the craft, which is a normal practice in the legal profession. He intends to move to Khammam or Hyderabad later to spend full time in the practice of law. Dhanunjaya Rao thanked his wife Satya Sri, family members, relatives and friends for supporting him in his studies.