Panjalingam Sellappah was born March 8th, 1942 in Urumpirai, Jaffna, Sri Lanka to father Sellappah Kasinathar and mother Luxmi Sellappah. He had three sisters and four brothers and went to school in Urumpirai until grade 6.

In 1955, at the age of 13, due to family financial issues he went to Galle, Sri Lanka to work at a retail store. He worked 12 hour shifts for 7 years until he was 20 years old.

In 1960, at the age of 18, his father was shot and killed in a case of mistaken identity.

In 1962, he moved to Kondavil, Sri Lanka and started to work at a retail store owned by his uncle.

In 1965, he purchased that store from his uncle and it was the first business he owned.

In 1966, he leased farm land and started farming as a side business.

In 1967, he saw his wife at a school sport event and fell in love with her. He asked her relatives to marry her.

In 1968, at the age of 25, he married the love of his life Manoharany, with the approval of the senior relatives.

In 1969, they welcomed their first child.

In 1970, while they were expecting their second child, tragedy struck his family again when both of his in-laws, Manoharany’s parents committed suicide on the same day.

As they had left behind many young children, he rose to the occasion and took responsibility for raising 5 of his wife’s siblings, aged 3 to 16. In these hard times, he did his best to improve their life and get them out of poverty. His wife, always protective of his siblings, and him, always by her side, struggled but made it through with the love they had for each other and their family.

He was a very religious person and often went to Nallur Temple.

In 1972, he bought his first plot of land to live on, in Kondavil, and built a small hut out of mud and coconut leaves. While continuing to run the store, he also bought farm land and started farming a variety of vegetables and tobacco.

In 1974, he welcomed his fifth, and youngest, child. They were also able to build a new brick and mortar home.

In 1979, he completed construction of this home and was able to move in with his family and two of his wife’s siblings.

In 1981, he ventured into real estate development by purchasing untouched land and converting it into farm land.

In 1985, during the start of the Sri Lankan civil war, he sent his two eldest children to Canada to have a safe and better life.

In 1987, he was forced out of his house with his family into the nearest temple due to this war. They were forced to take refuge in the temple as bombing and shooting happened around them nearby. Eventually, he and his family stayed at a school in Jaffna for about a month until the war paused, temporarily.

In 1991, he moved to Canada with his family, and united with the rest of his children who were already in Canada.

In Canada, he continued to work hard and helped with his children’s education and getting them married.

He travelled around the world with his wife, living a fun, full and independent life until the age of 80.

In 2022, at the age of 80, he had to stop driving his car due to a worsening health condition. At this time, his family never hesitated and helped him with whatever he needed, maintaining the quality of life he proudly held.

He enjoyed his final years with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

On January 6th, 2025, at the age of 82, he passed away in his bed, surrounded by his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He will live on in the memories of his family and in the lives of all the people he helped along the way.

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