Dr. Atthreya was never the ‘man’ of the party or one who sought to occupy ‘center stage’ in any gathering.

The person who benefited from his company was one who sought him out or one who accidently sat next to him. But however fleeting the interaction, that person benefited in a small or big way. 

I recall a small incident. The year was 1986, when we visited the famous Brihadeeshwar Temple at Tanjavur. It had started raining, and hence we were constrained to sit within the temple precincts. Sitting close to us was a temple Odhuvaar – who came from a lineage of Odhuvaars who sang the Thevarams in the temple. My father, Dr. Atthreya, through conversation with this gentleman learned that he found it incredibly difficult to sustain a family on 12 bags of rice a year and a stipend of Rs.500/- a month.  My father gave him his visiting card, some money, and an offer of help if needed. Several months later, my father received a post card from this Odhuvaar, mentioning that the temple endowment ministry had revised their stipend to Rs. 3000/ p.m, and he had a feeling that my father had something to do with it. There was some truth to it. I learned that my father had written to the secretary of the ministry of Hindu Religious and Temple Endowments, stating how Odhuvaars played a significant role in our culture, and that their lineage would become extinct, if they could not continue to practice their art with dignity, and hence it was important to revise their stipend in keeping with the current cost of living. 

We received several letters on the occasion of Dr. Atthreya’s 80th birthday and some more current on the positive learnings from their interaction with him, which we would like to share through this section.