Sri Anna was a great educator, an able administrator, a prolific writer, and a spiritual leader in his community. He lived from 1895 till 1992 in Chennai, India. His parents died at a young age, so to continue his education, he enrolled in the Ramakrishna Mission Home, a school and shelter for orphans and underprivileged kids. At the Mission, ANNA immediately became an active member and made it his new home. At a time when all hope seemed to be lost, the Mission gave ANNA so many great opportunities, and for these ANNA was forever grateful.

Because of all the opportunities the Mission gave ANNA, he dedicated his life to educating the disadvantaged and underprivileged kids. He first served as a teacher in the orphanage he studied, then as it’s principal, and finally as its administrator till his death at the age of 98. He authored and published more than 100 books and donated all the royalty from the books to the orphanage. He was a respected speaker and gave speeches in Chennai and Dubai and Kuwait. He donated all the money he received from these tours to the orphanage and led a very simple parsimonious life.

Sri Anna touched many lives during his prolific and inspirational life. Even after his death, his legacy inspired many people such as myself; Sri Anna inspired me and continues to inspire me, even though I have never met him. I heard stories about him from my parents and became inspired by his self-less life. When I visited India, I interviewed several people spanning three generations and collected a plethora of documents about his life and to write a biography about him titled,“As We Cherish”

I was moved by the scenes of poor children begging for food in the streets of Chennai during one of my trips to India. I cried out of disbelief, I could not believe so many children were struggling to simply survive. These experiences left an indelible mark on my mind at a young age and I made helping the poor children a personal goal. I decided to start the SriAnna.org foundation in my great-grandfather’s memory to continue his legacy.