PNN
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], October 30: 81 entrepreneurs, professionals, institutions, digital creators and celebrities from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka were honoured at the first edition of the Pragathi Ratna Awards 2026, Telugu Excellence Honours, held on Sunday, 25 October 2026 at PBR Convention Hall, Bandlaguda, Hyderabad. Presented by Unik Life Groups and hosted by Business Growth Strategist Venu Kalyan, the evening was built around one theme: Celebrating Telugu Progress.
Actress Shriya Saran attended the ceremony as Chief Guest and presented the awards to the winners on stage. The evening was dedicated to business owners who create jobs, serve customers and build the economy of their towns.
Business Mint was the celebrity coordination partner for the evening.
Recognition for the real builders
The Pragathi Ratna Awards were created to close what Venu Kalyan calls the “recognition gap” in the Telugu business community.
“Cinema stars have awards. Sports persons have awards. Government officers have awards. But the owner who has run a business for 15 years and gives jobs to 40 families often has nothing on the wall to show for it,” said Venu Kalyan, Founder of Unik Life Groups. “Your customer cannot see your hard work. They can only see proof. Tonight, every winner walks home with proof that their work has been seen and respected.”
The winners came from a range of sectors in the small and medium business world: real estate developers and builders, schools and educators, hospitals, clinics and wellness brands, retail and fashion entrepreneurs, manufacturers, financial and insurance advisors, food and hospitality brands, IT and service companies, and creators and entertainers. They travelled from Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur, Nellore, Eluru, Kadapa, Khammam, Kothagudem, Punganur, Bengaluru and other towns.
Highlights of the evening
Among the honours presented:
-         Lifetime Achievement in Education Award to Suramala Krishna Murthy of Sri Ujjaini Educational Institutions, Punganur
-         Telangana State Excellence in Educational Leadership Award to Dr. Matta Chennaiah Goud, Principal and Correspondent, Sri Krishnaveni High School
-         Pride of Kalamkari Legacy Award to Sree Lakshmi Kalamkari Works, led by Kota Durga Rao
-         Pioneer of Trusted Multispeciality Care to Dr. Rama Rao Hospital, Visakhapatnam
-         Strategic Leadership in Multi-Sector Enterprises Award to Dileep Kumar Sigilipalli
-         Gracious Guardian of Orphan Care Award to K. Grace
-         Entertainer of the Year to actor Harsha Chemudu (Viva Harsha), and Best Entertainment Couple Award to Rocking Rakesh and Sujatha
Each winner received the award from the Chief Guest on stage, with their name, photo and business presented to the audience, many of whom were the winners’ own families.
From recognition to growth
The ceremony was the closing highlight of Day 2 of Venu Kalyan’s two-day “Transform Your Life” workshop, held on 24 and 25 October at the same venue. Awardees also received VIP passes to the workshop, a professional video reel of their award moment, a social media announcement and online articles about their business.
For Venu Kalyan, the award is a starting point, not a finish line.
“An award builds trust in the market. But trust alone does not scale a business. Systems do,” he said. “Information alone does not create results. Implementation, accountability and systems create growth. My job is to help these business owners build those systems so that next year, their numbers speak even louder than their trophies.”
According to Unik Life Groups, Venu Kalyan has trained more than 25,000 business owners through his workshops and mentorship programs, and his YouTube channels have crossed 1 million subscribers. His work focuses on practical systems in marketing, sales, leadership, branding and execution for SME owners across the Telugu states.
An annual platform for Telugu excellence
Unik Life Groups has announced that the Pragathi Ratna Awards will be held every year, with the aim of building a recognition platform for Telugu business owners, professionals and institutions. The full list of 2026 winners by category follows below.
Pragathi Ratna Awards 2026: Winners
Real Estate, Construction & Interiors
-         Emerging Business Youth Icon Award – Ratnakar Chodapaneedi, RR Properties Consultancy
-         Excellence in Architecture & Interior Design Award – Gangala Harendar Reddy, Designs87 Interiors & Architects
-         Visionary Developer of Real Estate Award – Seelam Sreekanth, Real Wealth Projects
Pvt. Ltd., Nellore & Amaravati
-         Icon of Customer Trust in Real Estate Award – Sridhara K.R., VS Developers, Bengaluru
-         Woman Icon of Real Estate & Multi-Business Excellence – K. Devika, Parvathi Parameswara Infra Developers
-         Young Entrepreneur Excellence in Real Estate & Construction – Madhu Yadav, Aaryan Constructions
-         Iconic Construction Brand of the Year – Varsha Construction (Ravi Bodasu)
-         Builders’ Pride of the Year Award – Samagra The Build Zone (Raghava)
-         Trusted Window & Facade Solutions Brand of the Year Award – Shree Lalitha Windows (Murali Volothi)
-         Visionary Young Entrepreneur in MEP Solutions – Anisetti Naga Vamsi, Vtech Engineers & Projects
-         Best Real Estate Property Developer – Velagapudi Srinivas
Education & Training
-         Lifetime Achievement in Education Award – Suramala Krishna Murthy, Sri Ujjaini
Educational Institutions, Punganur
-         Telangana State Excellence in Educational Leadership Award – Dr. Matta Chennaiah Goud, Principal & Correspondent, Sri Krishnaveni High School
-         Visionary Educator of the Year Award – Pawar Ambika, Lotus Smart School
-         Excellence in Educational Innovation Award – School of Wonder Kids, Visakhapatnam (Sarvani Malla)
-         Pride of All-Round Student Development – Bala Academy (Madhavi Latha)
-         Inspiring Educator of the Nation Award – Akella Raghavendra, Motivational Speaker, Mentor & Author
-         Visionary Leadership in Youth Development – Sri Charan Lakkaraju, Founder & CEO, Student Tribe
-         AI Educator & Innovator of the Year – Nikeelu Gunda, Founder & CEO, Super AI Academy
-         Emerging AI Coach of the Year – Shashikanth Vanga, Founder, 1CoreHub
Healthcare, Wellness & Beauty
-         Pioneer of Trusted Multispeciality Care – Dr. Rama Rao Hospital, Visakhapatnam (Dr. R. Seshakumari)
-         Outstanding Clinical Excellence in Physiotherapy – Dr. G. Anil Chand, Physiotherapist
-         Wellness Business Excellence Award – J. Rupadevi, Mavin Wellness
-         Emerging Community Health & Lifestyle Innovator – Helevate Fit (Harish Naidu)
-         Most Influential Psychologist & Parenting Mentor 2026 – Sudheer Sandra, Psychologist & Parenting Coach
-         Beauty Entrepreneur of the Year – Harshitha Ajmira, Founder, HK Clinics
-         Most Loved Unisex Salon of the Year Award – The Vizag Hair Company, Visakhapatnam (Madhu Varma Chekuri)
-         MIORI – Signature Style Salon of the Year – Ramani, MIORI
Retail, Fashion & Consumer Brands
-         Emerging Woman Fashion Entrepreneur of the Year – Chintha Nagamani, Manire – The Fashion Library
-         Game Changer in Size-Inclusive Fashion Award – Nishpanna – Design Your Appearance (Somisetty Praveena)
-         Excellence in Men’s Fashion Retail Award – Shaik Rafi, RS Fashions, Nellore
-         Digital Icon & Fashion Entrepreneur of the Year – Lasya Manjunath, Founder, The Co-Ord Set Studio
-         Eco-Conscious Entrepreneur of the Year – Shilpa Reddy, Mrs. India, Fashion Designer & Entrepreneur
-         Emerging Retail Entrepreneur of the Year Award – Y. Akhil, Akhil Mobile & Lifestyles
-         Icon of Customer Trust in Home Essentials – Nagarjuna Dasarapu, Sindhu Electrical & Power Solutions, Khammam
-         Excellence in After-Sales Service & Trust Award – Surisetty Sainath & Siva Koteswara Rao, Sri Devi Electronics & Home Appliances, Guntur
-         Excellence in Furniture Manufacturing & Showroom Experience – Vikrant Furniture (Suman Yerramsetty)
-         Visionary of the Confectionery World Award – Ketala Venkatesh, Super Traders
Manufacturing, Industry & Agriculture
-         Strategic Leadership in Multi-Sector Enterprises Award – Dileep Kumar Sigilipalli
-         Champion of Multi-Industry Excellence Award – Kandregula Chandu, Jagan Groups
-         Pride of Kalamkari Legacy Award – Sree Lakshmi Kalamkari Works (Kota Durga Rao)
-         Trusted Solar Brand of the Year Award – Akoni Solar Energy (Balaji & Srinivas)
-         Excellence in Cranes and Hoists Manufacturing Award – Ravi Sankar Reva, Sri Gajanana Cranes & Hoists
-         Machinery Excellence & Legacy Award – Gandhi Mill Stores (Avinash Gandhi)
-         Excellence in Pouch Packaging Machines and Dairy Equipment – Icon Packaging
Machineries (Mahesh Goud)
-         Excellence in Embroidery Machinery Solutions – Mahalakshmi, Founder & CEO, Siri Ganesh Enterprises
-         Visionary Leader in Tools & Hardware Distribution Award – Praneeth Yadha, Telangana Auto Services, Kothagudem
-         Excellence in Spices & Dry Fruits Manufacturing Award – Akash Enterprises (Kandula Satyanarayana)
-         Best Sustainable Dairy Farm Model Supplying Fresh & Healthy Produce – Ratna Babu Nagabhairava, PureOfresh
-         Evergreen Pioneer of the Year Award – Chava Chowdary, Sri Manikanta Nursery & Organics, Guntur
-         Excellence in Agri-Aqua Farmer Services Award – Srihari Vabilisetti, Suryateja Enterprises, Eluru
Financial Services & Insurance
-         Excellence in Financial Services Award – Vallepu Sudhakar, Money Spot Fintech Services
-         Excellence in Customer Trust & Financial Services Award – Niranjan Reddy, Mahvi
Financial Services
-         Bheema Ratna Award – Gade Sri Harsha, Harsha Wealth Care Solutions
-         Ambassador of Insurance Awareness Award – Vaidyam Ravi, R Care Solutions
-         The Impact Speaker in Personal Finance – Sai Krishna Pathri, Founder, Money Purse
Food & Hospitality
-         Iconic Sweet House of the Year Award – Muguli Naveen, Mayura Sweets, Kadapa
-         Iconic Feast Makers of the Year – Baddireddy Venkanna, Dolphin Garden Restaurant
-         Favorite Choice for Thematic Dining – Gowthamy Chirumamilla, Founder, Hiyya Kitchens
-         Excellence in Luxury Celebration Experiences Award – RukRams Era, Vijayawada (Rama Kishore Devineni)
-         Excellence in Hygienic Meat Retail Award – Vinod Reddy Yellu, SVR Reddy’s Fresh Chicken, Beeramguda
-         Bright Spark of Young Entrepreneurship Award – M. Niyathi, Hotel Abhiruchi, Maddelapalem
Services, Technology & Events
-         Excellence in Internet & Telecom Infrastructure Services Award – Lifi Networks, Visakhapatnam (Ch. Praveen)
-         Excellence in Complete IT Solutions & Customer Service Award – Global Computer Services, Eluru (Raja Naga Subba Rao Pabolu)
-         Excellence in Computer & Copier Service Award – Ravi Kumar Batta, Success Copiers
-         Excellence in Reliable Service & Spare Parts Supply Award – Manduva Vishnu, VR Electricals and Services
-         Outstanding Contribution to Digital Technology Awareness Award – Prasad Devarakonda, Founder & Director, Prasad Tech in Telugu
-         Best Emerging Young Entrepreneur Award – Karthik Voleti, Flashoot
-         Most Trusted Marketing Partner for Business – R. Bala Brahma Chary, GMS – Global Marketing Solutions
-         Icon of Print Quality & Precision – New Fotomagic Digital Press (M. Sivakumar & S.K. Kannan)
-         Outstanding Event Photography – Sudhir Chekuri, Candid Studio
-         Game Changer in Decor Supply and Making – Somesh Nayak, Event Bazar
-         Excellence in Driver & Valet Parking Services – Jaypal, Sunrise Drivers
Media, Entertainment & Creators
-         Entertainer of the Year – Harsha Chemudu (Viva Harsha), Actor
-         Best Entertainment Couple Award – Rocking Rakesh & Sujatha
-         Sensational Choreographer Award – Tamrapalli Sandeep (Aata Sandeep), Choreographer
-         Creative Entrepreneur Excellence Award – Anil Geela, Actor, Influencer & Entrepreneur
-         Rising Star of Podcasting & Social Media – Dr. Lasya Reddy, Anchor
Social Impact & Women Leadership
-         Gracious Guardian of Orphan Care Award – K. Grace
-         Champion of Humanity – Br. Shafi, Life Coach
-         Emerging Women Entrepreneur Award – A. Rameswari, Entrepreneur
About Venu Kalyan
Venu Kalyan is a Business Growth Strategist, Business Coach, and Motivational Speaker based in Hyderabad, and the Founder of Unik Life Groups. Through programs such as Be a Business Game Changer, Ultimate Business Mastery, and his mentorship programs, he helps small and medium business owners scale with practical, measurable systems.
About Unik Life Groups
Unik Life Groups is a Hyderabad-based business coaching and training company that runs workshops, coaching programs, and mentorship for SME owners in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Its stated mission is to help business owners grow 10X through systems, implementation, and accountability.
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