Thousands pay last respects to educator Dr M. Thambirajah
Thambirajah, who spent decades trying to lift families out of poverty through education.
Thambirajah, the founder of the Sri Murugan Centre (SMC), died yesterday aged 83.
SMC co-director Surain Kanda, once one of Thambirajah's scholarship recipients, described his mentor's passing as an immeasurable loss.
"His departure leaves a huge gap that will be very hard to fill. But Tan Sri had prepared us for this from the very beginning.
"I was 20 when I first joined SMC as a student and received a RM1,000 scholarship in 1992.
"I've been with him ever since. I was his student for 26 years before becoming his protégé, and I owe him everything," he told reporters at Thambirajah's wake.
Surain said Thambirajah's legacy would continue to live on through SMC.
"Our goals are clear: to help students get a good education, provide relief to struggling families, and help parents earn extra income so their children can study without worry.
"That was always Tan Sri's dream, not just to help students succeed academically, but to help entire families break the cycle of poverty. It's up to us now to make sure that legacy carries on."
Surain and thousands of others, including Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia, B.N. Reddy, gathered at the SMC Ashramam this morning to pay their last respects before the final rites this evening.
Thambirajah's daughter, Dr Sumitra Thambirajah, said her father never forgot his humble beginnings and devoted himself to helping others overcome hardship.
"He came from modest roots and was raised with the love of his family.
"He worked hard and had a passion for helping Indians like him rise above hardship, achieve success, and lift others along the way."
She said her father's passing was not just a huge loss to the family but to the Indian community in Malaysia.
"His legacy cannot die with him. To all the young Indians out there, I hope he has inspired you to do much more for the Indian community of Malaysia.
"He will be missed. He was a loving father and my best friend, and I hope we can all keep his spirit and legacy going."
Born in 1942, Thambirajah devoted his life to breaking down barriers and giving others a fair chance at success.
From SMC's modest start in 1982, Thambirajah nurtured generations of students, offering academic guidance and, more importantly, instilling self-belief.
Today, SMC's impact can be seen across the country in the careers of doctors, lawyers, teachers and engineers who once walked through its doors.
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