Sree Chithira Thirunal Memorial Lecture

I have constantly carried two images of His Highness Sree Chithira Thirunal Maharaja in my mind. One of them is the image I have been seeing in pictures in schools and office buildings right from my childhood, with the paraphernalia of high office, the diamond studded crown, the dignified and authoritative demeanor and the regal attire. The other is of the person, who graciously received me in the KaudiarPalace in later years, a fragile frame, a picture of simplicity and humility. In either image, he was every inch a king. If it was the grandeur of authority in one, it was the majesty of human warmth in the other. He was also a perfect diplomat, who maintained his integrity and equanimity in the face of revolutionary changes. In fact, he was very much a catalyst of the social revolution in the land ofSree Padmanabha, the hearts of whose people he still rules