The article, ‘Tyagaraja Aradhana Creates Sensation,’ (Jnauary 29) was an excellent recall of a historic event that happened during the Tyagaraja Aradhana festival in Kalpathy, a quiet part of Kerala. Sriram Venkatkrishnan has shown how this event created ripples and enabled the citizens of a town to rally around for a common cause.
The central figure of the episode is a boy, who had the courage to request the dignitaries very politely to desist from smoking, not worried by the adverse consequences his action might lead to. Perhaps this was his humble tribute to the revered memory of a great saint in whose honour the function was conducted.
A few facts about the ‘boy’ may be of interest here. His name was Kalpathy K.C. Veeraraghavan and he belonged to a respectable family of the town. After his education, he served the Police Department for 35 years with great distinction reaching the level of Deputy Superintendent, CBI. He was known for his integrity and honesty. He was awarded the Police Medal for meritorious service and The Hindu edition of January 26, 1978, carried a news item on this.
K.S. Lalitha (Wife of Kalpathy Veeraraghavan), Chennai
