How many of us live our lives for the development of our mother tongue Tamil? But, the life lived by the veteran scholar Periyasamy Thooran is an example for Tamil teachers of schools, colleges and universities of the present day. Thooran's compilation of the ten-volume Tamil Kalaikalanchium, a universal encyclopedia will pronounce his name for eras. Indeed, I took pride, as I penned an article on him in The New Indian Express recently.