In 1957, Kosa took the Singapore Citizenship Oath and became an official Singapore citizen. The couple had four sons and two daughters, and today have seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. ©National Heritage Boardįamily portrait of G. Although there was a 15-year age difference between them, their unusual love story withstood the test of time and society’s disapproval. In 1937, at the age of 34, he married a 19-year-old Lim Boon Neo, a Chinese Peranakan woman. Despite facing resistance, he continued fighting for change, dedicating more than 50 years of his life championing for progress for the sake of poorly educated immigrant Indians. Sarangapany understood the need to create a casteless society and sought to propagate it among the immigrant Indians. To deter the perpetuation of toxic Indian social norms of caste, he personally conducted the weddings of couples from different castes. ©National Heritage BoardĪt the same time, social reformist Sarangapany continued his quest to abolish social ills. Sarangapany is on the first row, second from the left. Umar Pulavar Tamil School Management Committee, 1949 - 1950. Saraganpany also played a key role in the Tamil language joining the ranks of the other official languages of Singapore. By starting a weekly supplement for students and encouraging them to write and contribute poems, essays, and short stories, Sarangapany inadvertently helped to lay the foundation for the development of Tamil literature in Singapore.ĭue to the concerted efforts of his and his colleagues’, Tamil also became a legally taught language in educational institutions in Singapore and Malaysia. In 1949, he worked tirelessly to unify a cluster of poorly run Tamil schools under one umbrella body called the Tamil Education Society. Sarangapany was also a strong proponent of education. Utilising the Tamil Murasu to rally the Tamil community, he explained the benefits of and stake in becoming a Singaporean to the immigrants. Later in 1940, he launched an English daily called The Indian Daily Mail. The Tamil Murasu went on to become wholly owned by Singapore Press Holdings in 2004. To keep it affordable for the poor, he sold each copy for only a cent. In 1935, he established the Tamil Murasu, a newspaper for Tamil readers. He set up Munnetram (translation: Progress) in 1929, and Seerthirutham (translation: Reform) in 1939. Separately, Sarangapany, also affectionately known as Kosa amongst the Tamil community in Singapore, worked to distribute magazines and newspapers for the masses. Ramasamy, he spearheaded a campaign and set up the Tamil Reform Association in 1930 to educate the Indian hoi polloi to rid the Indian community of its social problems of a strong belief in superstition, the caste system, and an addiction to toddy – a homemade concoction similar to that of whiskey. Inspired by celebrated Tamil Nadu social reformer Periyar E. As more and more Indians began to arrive on the islands’ shores, Sarangapany sought to reform them. He was one of the select few who was educated, compared to the rest of the Tamil Indians who had made their way to Singapore most of them were illiterate and had no choice but to do backbreaking work as coolies.
Sarangapany soon settled down and secured a job, making a living as an accountant. He was tall and attractive with wavy hair that he wore slicked back neatly behind his ears, and was never seen in anything else other than his traditional Indian garb of a white dhoti and jippa (an ankle length wrap and a long sleeved shirt) paired with leather sandals. Home was a few thousand miles away in Thiruvarur, Tamil Nadu, but for the highly educated young man who was bilingual in Tamil and English, Singapore was his future. Setting Foot in SingaporeĢ1-year-old Indian immigrant Thamizhavel Govindasamy Sarangapany (1903-1974) first set foot on Singapore soil in 1924. His leadership and vision precipitated positive change for many since the 1930s. Sarangapany was a monumental man of great influence and respect. Collection of all online Tamil Newspaper, Magazines and News Agency.Well known as a leader of the Tamil community and founder of the Tamil Murasu newspaper, G.
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