Love is bliss …! – Professor Solomon Pappiah

They built a simple house with the loan they got from the Cooperative Bank. But whenever one of my sisters got married, the house would be mortgaged and we would shift to a nearby house. My brothers migrated to different places in search of livelihood. When I grew up, there was only one brother left with us. We all depended on his income for our bread. My mother was suffering from asthma and medical expenditure also was mounting. Though there was a school nearby, education was a distant dream to us. I do not know my date of birth as my parents didn’t keep record. My parents never had the idea of putting me at school. They spent their lifetime working and earning as daily wagers. And, I was roaming around the streets playing with pals of my age.

My cousin Paulraj Pichai was studying in 5th Std. in a Corporation school. His teacher asked the students to bring some boys to be put in the 1st Std. as there was not a single student enrolled in that class. One day, when I was just walking along, a bull started chasing me. After a fast sprint, I climbed up a pillar to escape. The bull, standing close to the pillar, was trying to knock it down. At this point, my cousin, looking out for boys, arrived on the scene. He drove away the bull throwing a stone at it and took me to his school. The teacher asked me to sing a song and I sang one from the film ‘Kannagi’. In spite of many mistakes, the teacher was impressed with my rendition and admitted me immediately. That was the first moment in my life when a seed of hope was sown and watered in my mind which had been like a totally dry land till then. It was God’s will that the moment proved a turning point in my life. I waited for my father to return home from work. When he returned, I took him to the school. He gave his signature and my school life started from that moment.

Q: It is said that a child’s future lies in the manner it is brought up. What is your experience in this context?

A: My forefathers converted to Christianity some two or three generations back. My father was an indifferent person. He had read Ramayana and Mahabharatha. He used to say all Gods were one and the same. But my mother was just the opposite type. She was shallow-minded and was a religious fanatic. She was unlettered. If we put any question about Christianity to her, she would talk in detail and at length. As far as religion is concerned, my father and mother had totally different views. My mother was a very strict person, if we did any wrong, she would give us a good thrashing. She would never forgive our mistakes and would remain strict in spite of her motherly love. But my father’s approach was different. He would simply say ‘you are doing wrong’ and would give a firm look to us and keep quiet. His look would make us realize our mistakes and we would not repeat them anymore. I realized his greatness through an incident. One day, a woman co-worker at the mills came to our house with all her eight children at night. All of them had been remaining without food since morning. They asked for food but we didn’t have anything to offer at that time. My mother didn’t know what to do. But my father took a vessel and asked me to come along with him. He asked my sister who was living on the next street to spare some food. But there was also no food left. After thinking for a while, he took me to the next house and begged for food as a beggar would. He begged at some more houses and distributed the food to the children. My father didn’t mind begging for those children. Whenever this incident flashes in my mind, I feel proud of my father. Though my parents contributed nothing to my progress, their life serves as an exemplary example to me for following. Despite the many tribulations and hardships they faced, they stuck to honesty, humanness and sternness under all circumstances. Their belief and adherence to these great values is still guiding me in my life.