Renowned writer Athreya is not only known for his songs but also spontaneity and sense of humour. His close friends used to enjoy the ‘punch-lines’ uttered by him. Athreya used to have a magnifying glass on a teapoy beside his bed. People who met him always asked about its significance many a time.
He used to reply, “When directors come to me with their scripts or scenes for songs, I used to read those with this magnifying glass for finding the real story hidden”. The truth is Athreya had interest for palmistry and he used this glass for reading his own palm. Athreya used to tell that his uncle was a great astrology pundit and he told him that he will live a full life. But Athreya out of his skepticism, used to see his hand very often to know whether there are any impending health ailments.
His assistants thought that this constant brooding of Athreya over his health and future might lead to serious mental issues, and hence, took him to ‘Rajeswari Jyothisalayam’. The astrologer over there told Athreya that everything is fine and there is a thing that I have to convey to your assistant. Athreya sent his assistant in and the astrologer told him that his boss will face a threat to life if he accepts any doctorate, award or embarks on a journey abroad. The assistant never told Athreya about this and started requesting him not to take the doctorate offered.
This irked Athreya. Eventually he came to know what the astrologer told to his assistant. He was moved by his assistant’s love for him and told him not to worry too much about his death. Athreya died exactly six months after accepting his doctorate as said by the astrologer. This incident was told by his assistant Guru Charan who went on to write songs for various films. Guru Charan and devotional song writer JK Bharavi worked as assistants to Athreya in those days.
