New book traces Tamil's 50 years in Seychelles |22 December 2004

A Seychellois Tamil's Half a Century of Experiences in the Land of Seychelles by well-known merchant and community activist K.D. Pillay, was launched on Saturday night at the National Institute of Education.
Anglican bishop French Chang-Him officially launched the book at the ceremony, which was  attended by Vice-President Joseph Belmont, National Assembly Speaker Francis MacGregor, Indian High Commissioner and other personalities.

Bishop Chang-Him spoke of Mr Pillay's "permanent smile" and described him as someone who always reached out to friends, family and society at large.

He said that the contributions of the Indian community to Seychelles were immense, and worthy of being the subject matter of another book in the future.

Siva Supramanian, a free-lance writer and former teacher, said at the launch that while there were many great books on the flora, fauna and environment of Seychelles, few were meant to touch people at the grass roots level, indicating that Mr Pillay's contribution would help to fill that void.
 
Mr Supramanian said A Seychellois Tamil represented a lesson in what one could achieve with hard work and determination.
Other speakers – many from Seychelles' Indian community – were also called forward to say a few words during the launch about Mr Pillay and the significance of his new book.

According to Mr Pillay himself, he may not be a speaker, a writer or a historian, but his experiences, he felt, warranted documentation.

Mr Pillay is a businessman but is also known for his work in the community, namely with the local diabetes association, the Rajiv Ghandi Foundation, the Hindu Kovil Sangam and many other associations.
He said the book was mainly an account of his experiences since he moved to Seychelles as a youth, but also partially dealt with the importance of mingling and not separating oneself from society.

A Seychellois Tamil is actually the English version of a book Mr Pillay published in Tamil last year.

He said he was urged by non-Tamil speaking friends to publish the book in English, and although there were some worries at first about a translation not capturing the original work, he was pleased with the outcome.

"I'm confident you will enjoy book," Mr Pillay told those in attendance at the launch.

A Seychellois Tamil is expected to be available in book and stationery shops soon for R60, he told Nation.

Mr Pillay added that he plans to write another book in the near future, this one about some of the characters and personalities in Seychelles over the years that many people may not know or remember.