URAI

Solomon Pappaiah (22 February 1936 – 11 September 2026), also known as Solomon Pappiah and Salomon Pappayah, was an Indian scholar, actor, journalist and a television icon in Tamil Nadu. He is best known for moderating debate talk shows, known as 'patti mandrams', which have been airing on Tamil Television Channels for over three decades. He is credited with taking social themes to the masses and he moderated over 12,000 debates programmes across the globe. He is considered one of the greatest Tamil scholars. His modest approach in speaking and life earned him a large reputation among Tamil-speaking people throughout the world. He was awarded India's fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, in 2021. Pappaiah was known for his ‘down to earth' speaking style. His command of Tamil enabled him to get complex literary issues across to the common man. This enabled him to take social themes to the masses and bring about a social awakening in the evolution of Patti Mandrams in Tamil Nadu and beyond.