Last days of Thangasamy Nadar
Thangasamy Nadar was very hard-working and would be away from home in most of the days for business purposes, without taking proper food or rest in time. Since he was away from Munnar for most of the days, he could not concentrate on the business.Some of the employees whom he trusted, failed to do their duties, and due to their carelessness and the misunderstandings among them, the business establishments started making losses continuously.Day by day the business started worsening and the profit declining, and hence, he found it difficult to manage. This unexpected turn of events affected him mentally and physically to a great extent. He used to express his difficulties with his well-wishers and his elder children, who were too young.
He was much worried about the future of his children, especially about his only daughter and hence, his health deteriorated and he fell sick. After a prolonged illness, he expired in his late forties in Madurai on 26-05-1961, after treatment in Dr. Vadamalaian’s hospital without proper diagnosis.
Thangasamy Nadar who was conscious of his home call begun to advise his son Samuel Victor to take care of his little brothers and to run the shops without believing anybody saying "People will cheat you". Finally he kissed the hand of his wife Paul Nesam who was present there and breathed his last. The death message was conveyed through telephonic lightening call to KPR Lorry office of Udumalpet by Samuel Victor, who was looking after him with his mother, in the hospital. He could not convey it to Munnar, as the telegraph and telephone connections broke down in that area due to heavy monsoon rains. Sri. KP Raj Nadar, a good friend of MAT and owner of the lorry service to Munnar, realised the situation and arranged to send the message through the lorry driver to Munnar. But unfortunatly, there were no sufficient goods available to send the lorry to Munnar. But, KP Raj Nadar, magnanimously decided to send the empty lorry with the driver and cleaner to Munnar, just to convey the message, though he had to suffer considerable loss on account of this. The empty lorry with the death message reached Munnar in the early morning, and the message conveyed to MAT's nephew A P Joseph.
The mortal remains of MAT were brought to Munnar by a taxi from Madurai via Udumalpet. In Udumalpet, Rajamani Nadar, husband of Koilammal, sister of Paul Nesam joined the taxi which carried the body. Thangasamy Nadar was buried in the cemetery of the CSI Church. (Grave No. 477) His burial procession was attended by people in large numbers, from all over the surrounding estates and merchants all over Kerala and Tamilnadu, in spite of the torrential rains on that day. He became a legend and is still remembered by the people of that region. The employees including his close relatives left his business establishments for alternate jobs, and some of them started businesses of their own. He did not earn any assets for him, but, earned immortal fame and reputation for his generations. When he died, around Rupees one lakh was due to him from the poor estate laborers which remained un-recovered, in the account ledger, and he had to pay almost equal amount to the people who supplied goods to his shops.