Tenali is a small city in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. It is only small in size. The town continues to live in our consciousness for more than one reason. Not in small measure for being the birthplace of Tenali Ramakrishna, one of the Ashta Diggajas of Sri Krishnadevaraya. Situated on the banks of the River Krishna, Tenali is an ancient place. It finds mention in the Andhra-Satavahana Kingdom relics. The Nagalingeshwara Temple inscription of Tenali shows a rich Vedic-Jain-Buddhist history for the place going back to 2000 years. In the modern era too, Tenali as a town is known for Art, Literature and Culture. But that is not everything. This story is about a tradition, culture and a person who should have been an inspiration for many in the nation, only if we cared to know the man and the institution. It is a one-man Institution that he has held fort in the midst of all turmoil.
