‘Great Tamil Scholar’: Rajinikanth Pays Tribute to Solomon Pappaiah After His Death at 90

Chennai, September 11:  Tamil superstar Rajinikanth on Friday joined scores of others in paying tribute to eminent Tamil scholar, debate moderator and actor Solomon Pappaiah who passed away in Madurai due to age-related ailments. He was 90. Rajinikanth, who took to his X timeline, to condole the demise of the iconic speaker and Tamil scholar, said in Tamil that he prayed for the soul of the great Tamil scholar, Professor Solomon Pappaiah, to rest in peace.

Rajinikanth, in his tribute, pointed out that Pappiah was an authority in Tamil who had taken debates, which were until then something which only the educated and the elite could enjoy, to the common man in a colloquial way. Solomon Pappaiah, who has moderated over 12000 debates, has also acted in a number of films including Rajinikath's blockbuster film 'Sivaji -The Boss'. Tamil Scholar and Actor Solomon Pappaiya Passes Away.

Several eminent people have condoled the demise of the great Tamil scholar including seven-time National Award winning lyricist Vairamuthu. Taking to his X timeline to pen a tribute to Solomon Pappaiah, Vairamuthu, in Tamil, wrote, " The demise of eminent Tamil scholar Solomon Pappaiah breaks my heart. Pappaiah has passed away on the same day eminent poet Bharathiar passed away. It appears September 11 is not a good day for Tamil." VC Jayamani, Veteran Tamil TV and Film Actor, Dies After Suffering Cardiac Arrest.

The lyricist further said, "Has the Tamil of debates ended? Has the Tamil of the common man stopped breathing? Solomon Pappaiah took the Tamil that was taught in colleges to the common people in market places. I have also written about him in my book, 'Intha Kuzhathil Kalerindhavargal." Likening Solomon Pappaiah to the great actor N S Krishnan, who was popularly called 'Kalaivanar', Vairamuthu called Solomon Pappaiah "The Kalaivanar of stage" and said, " The Kalaivanar of stage, who made people to laugh and to think, has passed away. His chair will remain empty. It cannot be filled. Madurai itself seems empty. My heart weeps. My condolences to his family members and all the Tamils around the world who miss him."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 11, 2026 07:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).