Solomon Pappaiah

Solomon Pappaiah was a Tamil scholar, television personality and actor, best known for the Pattimandram debate shows that became a festival-day tradition in Tamil homes. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2021 in the field of literature and education, from Tamil Nadu ^[1].

Pattimandram

Sundaram Solomon Pappaiah was born on 22 February 1936 ^[2]. Pattimandram, a form of public debate with deep roots in Tamil culture, was his stage from 1961, as speaker, moderator and judge in about 8,000 programmes across Tamil Nadu, other states and the Tamil diaspora abroad ^[2]. For about 25 years his televised debates were a fixture of festivals and national holidays ^[2].

For thirteen years he also presented Dhinam Oru Thirukkural, a daily morning programme on Sun TV on the verses of Thiruvalluvar, which earned him the name “Thirukkural Thatha” ^[2].

Scholar and teacher

For more than 30 years he was professor and head of the Tamil department at the American College in Madurai ^[2]. He wrote studies of the Thirukkural, the Kamba Ramayanam and the Sangam anthologies Purananuru and Agananuru, and spoke at the World Tamil Conferences in Madurai in 1981, Coimbatore in 2010 and Chicago in 2019 ^[2]. He founded the Madurai Kamban Kazhagam, and every year celebrated the poet Bharathiyar’s birthday with competitions for students ^[2]. He also acted in a few films, including Sivaji, with Rajinikanth ^[2].

Solomon Pappaiah died in Madurai in September 2026, aged 90 ^[3].