NEW DELHI, March 27 -- As I read the news of his gentle departure at the ripe age of 101, I recall Sadhu Ittiyavirah with love and reverence. He is a modern day Tathagathan, who 'just went by,' trying his bit to make the world a better place. I would consider him one of the old-time STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) persons, who perhaps didn't ever come across the acronym. By the time, STEM became popular, his faculties had lost their old-time sharpness to grasp anything new.

Otherwise, from the days I had begun to interact with him as a fresher in Social Work education at Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, where he used to bless us with his presence annually, introducing his new books to the college library and ...