Solomon Pappaiah, television’s most belove debate moderator, has been enlisted for the prestigious Padma Shri award. The 84-year-old Tamil Scholar was awarded under the Literature and Education (Journalism) field and is a household name for being the moderator of patti mandrams, or Tamil debates, that have been aired in Tamil channels for the past two decades. He has earned a great amount of praise for lacing his observations on patriarchy and equality with humour, so as to deliver a healthy message without provoking offence or hate.
Pappaiah comes from a very humble economic background, where completing graduation in itself was a challenge. But, he was determined to study further, and joined Madurai’s Thiagarajar College to pursue a Post-Graduation in Tamil and became the first batch of M.A Tamil students. He rose to the position of Head of Department for Tamil in American college and extended his Tamil literature knowledge to all people through various forums. Eventually, he created a social awakening in the evolution of Patti Mandrams. He has also written and directed plays at college.
Pappaiah, who is a native of Tirunelveli, is an eminent Tamil scholar and has been known for being a prolific writer. He has written and published several books, and articles in Tamil. He has been serving as a professor of Tamil literature for more than two decades, and is an accomplished orator, in addition to being a moderator. In addition to being a constant presence in Tamil Television debates, he has also been seen in a few Tamil movies and has done quite a few radio shows.
He was awarded the Kalaimamani by the Tamilnadu government, and the Mutthamizh Perarignar award by the Annamalai University in Karaikudi, amongst others.
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