Veteran Tamil scholar and orator Solomon Pappaiah passed away aged 90. He taught at The American College, Madurai, from 1961 to 1994 and headed its Department of Tamil; under his leadership the undergraduate Tamil programme became a Postgraduate Department in 1986. Famous for Pattimandram (Tamil debate), he conducted more than 12,000 such debates, popularising Tamil literature and culture. He received the Kalaimamani Award in 2000 and the Padma Shri in 2021 for his contributions to literature and education.