“My thatha (grandfather) was nothing short of a living legend. As I am still processing the fact that he is no more, the best tribute that I could think of was for the world to know his story. Maybe it is my grieving process too. He would have been 84 this June 28th, the day our family reunited every year to celebrate him. My grandpa was born in a small town called Perumbalipatti in Namakkal. He grew up with 2 brothers and 4 sisters on a farm. As he could not clear his 10th grade exams, he continued helping the family on the farm till one day he made the bold decision to move to the town. I am sure that there was some criticism but he borrowed some money from his father and left with my grandma and two sons to start some business. He initially worked as a cleaner and driver in a lorry and I remember my grandma saying that he used to be gone for days as he used to make trips across India. He saved up some money and bought 1 lorry where he was the cleaner and driver till he could save up enough to buy one more. His fleet doubled constantly with his hard work and his charisma and humbleness helped him connect with people across the town. He always loved talking to people and treated them with respect, be it a 3-year-old kid, a teenager, or an alien from Mars. He worked so hard that till date he has not watched a movie or anything on the TV except for a 30 min news brief. As his transportation business flourished, he also became successful in a few other businesses. He loved to travel, explore, and meet different kinds of people. Slowly as he rose to wealth and my uncle and father took over the business, he engaged more on social and philanthropic activities. He managed the reconstruction of a temple, a community hall, a college auditorium etc., He was nothing less of a star in a crowd. He was always in a white shirt and white dhoti and owned 4-5 sets of pants and t-shirts. He used them only when he travelled abroad for leisure. After his 60s, he visited a country a year and has visited around 20+ countries. I remember him telling me about his trips, the people, the clothes they wore, their habits, their culture and I used to listen to him in awe. He was 58 when I was born. I was his first grandkid and boy, was I pampered? He used to come home at 7pm. I remember running towards him as I heard the doorbell ring to collect his bag and hug him. He was my favourite person as a kid and I just hopped along with him in the car any chance I got to spend the day with him. He was so confident, strong, bold and kind hearted. We used to have so many random conversations. At 3, I wanted to be the Prime Minister of India and my grandpa and I used to tell everybody we saw. I used to pitch in business ideas to him about starting an amusement park, a hotel or a movie theatre and he used to sincerely discuss them with me. He is probably the reason why I am ambitious today. On weekends, he told me bedtime stories and I fell asleep hugging him. Diwali celebration was the biggest in my family. My favourite Diwali ritual was listening to him tell me the story of Naragasura the previous night, eating the Diwali breakfast with him and visiting my other grandpa who also pampered me so so much. He did all he could to make me study in better schools and he did his best for everybody. As I grew up, he supported me in all my career decisions and he was proud of whatever I did. He built a name for himself, a beautiful family and loyal non-family relationships. I love how fearless he was. Recollecting an incident, he met India’s top tech company’s CEO who hails from our same town. Thatha’s interaction was “Why don’t you do something for your people here when you have the power to make an impact?” We were just laughing it out about how he was just so direct on the first meet because that’s our thatha. He was a living self-made legend who symbolizes hard work, dedication, and humanness to me. I have never told him how much he inspires me and how much I have looked up to him. I really wish he knows the quantum of impact he left on this world. There were about 800 garlands in a day after his death and before his cremation from people who loved him so dearly. Sengodan thatha, we will miss you beyond what words can ever describe. You were a smart entrepreneur, a loving husband, a fatherly figure to 100s of people and the best grandfather. For the wonderful soul you are, you lived a King’s life and passed away without any pain. May your legacy always live through!”

– Aadhi Shivani, Granddaughter