P Govindasamy Pillai
Inaugural Excellence Award For Social Welfare Service
Born in 1887, P Govindasamy Pillai or known popularly as PGP, was a business ‘icon’ of his own making and reckoning. He also was a humanitarian donating generously to causes and ventures close to his heart such as the Perumal Temple, the Indian Chamber of Commerce, Indian Association and the Ramakrishna Mission. Unsurprisingly he was made a Justice of Peace (JP).
Pillai’s life was purely the stuff of legends. Growing up in the Indian village of Koorainadu, Mayavaram, Tanjore District, Tamil Nadu, Pillai ran away from home and boarded a ship to Singapore, landing at Tanjong Pagar in 1905.
Getting a job in Singapore was just as nerve-racking as running away. After many fruitless attempts he found a job at a provision shop at Serangoon Road which was back breaking and unremitting in the stress it caused. There was little accommodation and he was given no wages. In other words, he fitted the definition of a slave though not quite as there was no physical abuse. But the ‘experiment’ proved to be serendipitous; he learnt all about running a business. Pillai’s knack and acuity into turning adversity into opportunities is almost legendary as the man himself.
Pillai soon turned misfortune on his head and used it as a valuable opportunity to apply his business wherewithal. The cascade of troubles, misfortunes never daunted the indomitable spirit in Pillai. His business of selling spices, oils and grains was named Dhanalakshmi Stores, after his eldest daughter, only to have it changed to P Govindasamy Pillai or PGP Stores.
Pillai was a parsimonious man. There was never a day when he would not manage to save to invest in properties, and his business far from being embryonic began spreading its tentacles to ever more distant shores. His writ of operations soon enveloped much of the commercial spirit and life in Serangoon Road making Pillai one of the few successful South Indian businessmen to build two houses in the then princely precinct of Serangoon Road. The end of the war and the Japanese Occupation compelled Pillai to reinvigorate his business and now with a new-found vigour he opened stores in Malaysia.
But his health took a toll on him. On his death bed he bequeathed the bulk of his business and wealth to his children. P Govindasamy Pillai died in 1980 at the age of 93 and his legacy and memory is remembered for its generosity. As a mark of his enduring footprint in Singapore the Singapore Post honoured the work, life and contributions of Pillai in commemorative postage stamps.