And from a friend who knew him in college, and discovered the web-site by accident, we received these recollections of Sunder as a debater in college. We are grateful to Mr Dhanam Sanjeevi (and S. Subramanian for acting as mediator) for recovering this bit of the past:
. . . On the third death anniversary of Sundar it is trite for me to observe what an inspiration Sundar was to all of us. But that is indeed the case – a larger than life figure with limitless talent and a big heart. But with all that, I must say that my vivid memory is of how privileged I was to interact with him when we both had been contenders for the Loyola Bowl in the first year of its inception at St. Joseph’s college, Trichy. He appeared very gentle but sometimes with very blunt humour.
He was an outstanding student speaker as I could remember. And it was no surprise, he knocked away the first prize, and I and my partner, Vallum Puri John (who later became a well-known Tamil writer, orator and Rajya Sabha member) could be placed only a humble third.
. . . It is a sad wrench that Sundar is no more. His absence today from family and friends is distressful and it will take a long time for us to come to grips with this loss. But when we have loved people, it is so comforting to know that the dear Departed, are for ever enshrined in our hearts. My immediate thoughts and prayers are with Sundar’s family.
–J.M.Dhanam Sanjeevi