Tenali Raman

Tenali Rama who was also known as Vikatakavi was a Telugu poet who hailed from present day Andra Pradesh, generally known for his wit, humour and exceptional problem tackling ability. Tenali taught us many things throughout his life, what we could learn from him was mostly not in the form of written document from him instead his teaching and contributions that we can learn and apply in our lives were through his actions.

Tenali Rama could not get any formal education during his childhood. However, still he become a great scholar because of his thirst for knowledge and curiosity. During his period because he was a devotee of Shiva, the devotees of Vishnu refused to accept him as a scholar. Tenali Rama found his way to brilliance with his sheer determination and intelligence.

Tenali was not just about a single liner. He was a brilliant poet and has contributed immensely to the Indian literature. His work Panduranga Mahatmyam is a kavya of high merits. It is also counted as one of the Pancha Maha Kaviyas of the telugu literature. Through his work he showed us that “our art is our legacy”, we should never forget that along with building our personality, focusing on our  actual art and talent is the  most Important thing and that’s what we will be remembered by when we are gone.

Tenali Rama was a very smart man and on the other-side he was also a lazy man, but that quality never held him back. Even though he was lazy his smartness took him forward, he always found an easy way to do the entire task. Tenali was a perfect example of how to do amazing things with very little effort.

Tenali had joined a troupe called Bhagavata Mela  which had come to Vijayanagara to perform in front of the king. After his performance caught the eyes of Krishnadevaraya and with his wit and intelligence, went on to become an Ashtadiggaj (one of the eight scholars in the court of Krishnadevaraya. He showed us that we should not be intimidated by who is in front of us and give our best. Believing in ourselves will lead us to an inevitable success.

He started as a jester but went on to become one of the eight Ashtadiggaj in the courtroom. Tenali was never complacent of what he had. He always kept working to better himself in any way possible. In many instances throughout his life, he showed us that if you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. In any case, don’t stop moving.

Krishnadevaraya used to challenge Tenali with the most difficult problems, and he used to surprise him with the most brilliant solutions. That’s how Tenali made himself indispensable in the court. He was never afraid of new challenges. Instead of being afraid of them, he saw them as an opportunity to create a mark.