(April 24, 2026) From a village in Andhra Pradesh to Mysore, Hyderabad, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and eventually Canada, Dr Keshav Mandadi’s journey traces a steady movement through classrooms, institutions, and continents. What began as an early fascination with language in a rural classroom grew into a decades-long career in English education across multiple countries. Today, that journey has moved into public life as he works toward a place in the Canadian Parliament.
I did not grow up privileged. If I achieve what I am striving for, it will inspire many who come after me. It would show them that someone who arrived as an immigrant can, in just 10 years, make a real difference. I want to be remembered for the good work I do.
Dr Keshav Mandadi
In a classroom in a small village near Irala, 30 kilometers from Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh, a sixth grader sat with an English textbook. The lesson was about a temple elephant named Kesavan, a creature that lived in Mysore. The boy had never heard of Mysore. He did not know where it was on a map and had no reason to think it would matter in his life. Yet something in that lesson stayed with him.
“I fell in love with that lesson,” recalls Dr Keshav Mandadi, an English language educator now a full-time political candidate in Canada with his sights set on the Parliament. “And eventually that passion took me to develop a liking for the English language,” he says in a chat with The Global Indian.
From a shepherd’s village to Mysore
Mandadi grew up in Gollapalle, a shepherd’s village where daily life was shaped by movement. Families followed grazing cycles, walking long distances with their livestock in search of grass and water. His father and grandfather lived this way, often spending months away from home, setting up temporary shelters wherever the land allowed. As a child, he accompanied them, observing a life that depended entirely on nature.
My father and grandfather were like gypsies. They would take the sheep wherever there was rain and grass. If there was no grass in one area, they would move 10 to 15 kilometres to where there was some. And they would stay there for months together.
Dr Keshav Mandadi
Education was not guaranteed in this environment. Access itself required effort. He became the only child from his village to attend high school, walking two kilometres each day to reach it. There were no role models to follow, no one to guide decisions about what came next. What he had instead was a growing sense of possibility tied to a place he had never seen.
“Imagination is the key for any success,” he says. “When my friends in school were asked where they wanted to study after passing out, some said Tirupati, some said Chittoor, some said Chennai. I told everybody I would go to Mysore. I didn’t know where it was or how far it was. I had nobody who knew the city. But it was constantly there in my mind.”
That thought stayed with him through his school years. After completing high school, he finally secured admission to the Regional Institute of Education in Mysore. Between 1985 and 1989, he completed a Bachelor of Arts in English and Education. The transition from a small village to a campus with students from multiple states reshaped his worldview.
“It was completely residential. We had such a spirit of national integration and love for the country. We respected each other. I even picked up Malayalam and Kannada,” says Dr Mandadi, whose mother tongue is Telugu. He took part in debates, drama, and literary activities, and served in the National Cadet Corps. Those years helped him find confidence in both language and public expression.
Building the academic foundation
From Mysore, Mandadi moved to Sri Krishnadevaraya University in Anantapur for a master’s degree in English. He represented the university in debates and public speaking competitions, continuing to build his engagement with language beyond the classroom.
He then went on to complete a doctorate at the University of Hyderabad, where he remained active in cultural and debating circles. These years established the academic base for what would become a long career in teaching, training, and curriculum development.
Much later, after decades of professional experience, he returned to formal study once again, completing a learning design certification at the University of Toronto in 2018. The decision reflected an ongoing effort to stay aligned with evolving methods in education.
Across classrooms in India and the Gulf
Dr Mandadi’s professional journey began with the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan. In administrative and academic roles, he worked across different regions of India, including Assam and Chandigarh. These early postings exposed him to diverse student populations and institutional systems.
He then moved to Saudi Arabia, where his work expanded in both scale and scope. At Saudi Aramco, he taught English and communication courses and contributed to training programmes designed for professional development. He later joined King Faisal University as an assistant professor, working with students from medicine, engineering, and business.
“I’ve gathered a lot of experience throughout my life at various places in different national and international contexts and very highly reputed institutions,” he says. “I’ve seen education very closely.”
Over 18 years of teaching career in the middle east at the top notch institutions like Saudi Aramco, King Faisal University and Sultan Qaboos University, he developed courses, trained students and professionals, and adapted to multilingual classrooms. During this time, he also became an IELTS examiner with the British Council, assessing candidates in writing and speaking across both academic and general modules.
Canada and the university years
Dr Mandadi moved to Canada in 2013. He joined McMaster University as a teaching faculty member, working as an EAP specialist and writing consultant. He later worked with the Peel District School Board as a TESL trainer, supporting language education in school settings.
In 2022, he joined the University of Toronto as a full-time contract faculty member. Teaching at one of Canada’s leading institutions marked another step in a career that had moved steadily across countries and systems.
Alongside his academic roles, he ran AG Educational Management Services Inc, offering programmes such as student exchanges, summer camps, and language training. He also presented at conferences and conducted workshops in countries including Brunei, Malaysia, India, the USA, Canada, and the UK.
Transition to politics to make greater impact
A few months ago, he stopped teaching. The decision followed years of observation and reflection on the education system in Canada.
Canada attracts a lot of immigrants from all over the world. Many people come with the notion that education is a great opportunity here for their children. I was really disappointed with the way the schools are run in this country. I felt there is so much to contribute.
Dr Keshav Mandadi
He began to see politics as a more direct way to engage with these concerns.“I plan to spend the rest of my life for the community, and I want to give back to the society that has given me so much in my life,” he remarks.
“Once you are in politics and you are able to go to the legislative bodies such as Parliament or assemblies, you get a lot of opportunities to closely influence policymakers and bring out changes that are highly desired in the field of education.”
He ran as a nomination candidate in the last federal elections and began building support across communities. His outreach spans immigrants as well as non immigrants, across age groups and backgrounds. He speaks Arabic, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and English, and hence is able to connect with a wide range of people. “I am genuinely interested in people, and do not differentiate between them,” he remarks.
Rethinking education, affordability, and social capital
Dr Mandadi’s focus areas as a politician include education, affordability, and social connections within communities. He speaks about the financial pressures faced by families adjusting to life in Canada, and the long term burden of housing and debt. He sees social capital as an essential but often overlooked part of building stable and inclusive communities.
“Not investing in social capital, not being able to connect with neighbours, not being able to connect with other cultures and communities is a big failure on the part of human beings,” he believes.
He also reflects on immigrant integration and participation in civic life. “People may physically immigrate, but not mentally. They keep following politics back home, thinking they can still make a major impact there. But the place one settles in becomes their karma bhoomi. It is the land where we live and raise our children, that they will claim as their future.”
Staying connected to where it began
Even as he builds a political career, Dr Keshav Mandadi remains connected to his village. He founded an alumni association for his school in Irala and has contributed to initiatives such as health camps and local infrastructure development. His efforts include financial support for facilities that benefit students and the wider community.
Making money abroad is not a big thing. A lot of immigrants come and get successful. But trying to carve out a second profession and then excelling in that is something I wanted to challenge myself with.
Dr Keshav Mandadi
He now works without a university salary, relying on personal savings as he builds his campaign. “It is not easy to afford a life like this. Fortunately, I have done well personally. I can afford to retire early,” he remarks.
The road ahead
What matters to the educator turned politician is the path that he is trying to create. He says that despite not coming from a privileged background, his efforts to make a difference in politics could inspire others and show that an immigrant can make a meaningful impact within a decade of immigrating. He hopes to be remembered for the work he does.
Dr Mandadi’s family remains closely tied to this journey. His wife has been part of the transitions across countries and phases of his career. His daughter is studying medicine in the Caribbean, while his son is in his third year of computer science at the University of Toronto, the same institution where he once taught. While their paths are their own, they remain closely tied to Dr Kesav Mandadi’s journey, from a small village in Andhra Pradesh with a lesson about an elephant named Kesavan to a life that has stretched across continents — a name and a journey that, in some ways, echoes his own.
