PALAKKAD: The book Saga of Kalpathy - A Story of Palghat Iyers written by veteran journalist M K Das was released by poet Mahakavi Akkitham Namboothiri at a colourful function in Kozhipara near Kanjikode on Monday.
Saga of Kalpathy is the first book published by Ahalia Publications. The book was received by Director of Public Education K V Mohan Kumar. Mahakavi Akkitham said that he was happy to release the book and wished the readers a memorable journey through the life and times of the Palghat Iyer community. Kumar said those who were thirsty for knowledge will certainly be satiated by Saga of Kalpathy. In his speech, Das said that the book was more of a historical narrative than an academic tome.
Palakkad, which was earlier called Palghat, and Kalpathy village with its agraharams gave the Tamil Brahmins an unmatched identity, noted Das. He said he had gathered inputs by going through works on political, social and cultural history of Kerala and collected material by interviewing experts. Das said he had travelled a lot for his research and it took more than two-and-a-half years to complete the book. Cartoonist E P Unny has contributed illustrations, while historian M G S Narayanan has written the foreword.
Those present at the book launch included Ahalia Heritage Village director R V K Varma, Ahalia managing trustee A G Ajith Prassad and Sahitya Akademi vice-president Khadeeja Mumtaz.