That was how his son Anannd Thambirajah remembered him on Sunday, as students, educators and family members gathered at SMK Vivekananda to honour the Sri Murugan Centre (SMC) founder, a towering figure in Malaysian education.
Anannd said his father, whose life and mission was to always bring out the best in everybody, was more than just a champion for the Indians.
“For those who truly know him, he was colourless. He always believed in championing the poor above all else.
“He transformed ordinary lives into the extraordinary, never seeking praise or recognition,” he said.
Thambirajah’s daughter, Dr Sumitra Thambirajah, urged the crowd to carry forward her father’s life mission by continuing his work.
“I was only two when he started SMC. I still remember how passionate he always was about uplifting our community.
“People think SMC is a tuition centre – it isn’t. It’s a mission dedicated to uplifting Malaysian Indians and the poor through education after being held down for generations.
“Let us learn from him, lest we let his legacy die with him. He wanted us Indians to walk proudly with the opportunities we deserve,” she said.
Born on Dec 2, 1942 in Bukit Mertajam, Penang, Thambirajah’s journey began with a scholarship to the United Kingdom at age 16, where he trained as a teacher.
He was first posted to Kedah upon his return to Malaya before pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Universiti Malaya (UM). He later earned his MBA and PhD from the University of Washington in the United States.
Thambirajah then went on to serve as a history lecturer at UM, and on Sept 24, 1982, he founded SMC to uplift Malaysian Indian students through education.
SMC national coordinator Sri Ganesh Rao also paid tribute to Thambirajah, recalling their time working together.
“He believed that through education, we could truly empower our community. I feel privileged to have worked closely with him, even in his final years,” he said.
Today, SMC’s impact can be seen with over 103 physical and 128 virtual centres nationwide, serving more than 10,000 students.
Among those shaped by his work is Pravhilan Gunasekaran, now the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) coordinator at SMC and the first in his family to earn a university degree.
“While I didn’t work with Tan Sri for very long, he taught me that we should give back to the very community that gave us the opportunities we have now,” said the SMC graduate.
Pravhilan remembered Thambirajah as a man deeply attentive to detail.
“Tan Sri was very hardworking and meticulous. Even in the smallest of things, he taught us that being detail-oriented matters, because that’s how you do justice to people’s dreams.
“He also taught us it’s the thought and care we put in that gives our work meaning, whether running a programme or simply living life,” he said.
As the ceremony drew to a close, the students who had once called him “appa” stood in silence, not just to mourn a beloved mentor, but to commit to carrying forward the legacy of a life that had changed so many of theirs.