University Students can be Interested too
One can feel so detached from their heritage and make decisions to narrow the divide.
I was walking on a college campus and saw a young Indian man. I immediately walked over to him and started talking. His name was Sam, and he was so friendly and open.
Sam said he was interested in his family’s history and had thought about it a few times but being in college didn’t have a lot of free time. So now with a bit of encouragement, he is just beginning his tree. He is like millions around the world who is ethnically 100% Indian but he now lives in a different country and only visits India occasionally. His parents immigrated from Tamil Naidu. He loves this heritage, he never wants to lose it. He plans on marrying one day and having children. What will they know of India? Sam gets to decide. Hopefully, he will keep India and its culture, traditions and spirituality alive in his children. But how can he if he doesn’t know it? (I say this hypothetically) How can any of us remember if it hasn’t been shared and documented?
Sam was so excited and helpful. He got the whole Indian Association at the college together so we could talk to them all via zoom to encourage them to get started documenting their families.
Now, he will begin building his tree and attaching photos and stories and traditions.
He had already written a short biography of his grandfather for a class and shared that with me. Please think of your own family and start documenting and sharing the stories you have. Enjoy these stories and hopefully it inspires you to do something similar.
Note- we do not espouse a religion in our society. We value the stories of Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, Jains, Christians and every spiritual path.
Life Story of Martin Jayagaran
Martin Jayagaran was born in 1938 in a rural village in Tamil Nadu, India. Martin had a
small family, with one older brother and one younger brother. While the memories from his
childhood are sparse, one experience shaped his entire destiny. While only three years old, his father passed away unexpectedly. This placed extreme hardship on the family. Martin’s mother did not have any education. In fact, she was completely illiterate, having no ability to read or write. On top of all this, she didn't have a job at the time of her husband’s passing.
However challenging her circumstances were, Martin’s mother chose to roll up her sleeves and get to work to provide for her family. She began working as a laborer in fields across the Tamil Nadu region. She worked in rice fields. Additionally, she would go to rivers to catch fish for her family. In the words of her great daughter in law, “She was a very resourceful woman.” What he witnessed from his mother’s example shaped Martin’s character and decisions to succeed, no matter what cards you’re dealt in life.
Firstly, Martin decided that he was going to be successful, and getting a proper education was part of that. Martin enrolled in a Christian missionary hostel a few towns over, which allowed him an opportunity to study and receive a high-quality education. At the time, in more rural areas of India, the quality of public education was not very good. Enrollment here meant a better alignment in Martin’s trajectory for future success. Here, Martin was first exposed to the beliefs about Jesus Christ. India, having the majority religion of Hinduism, meant that meeting Christians was very rare. This was a major shift in Martin’s cultural identity, being exposed to a new way of thinking about life and religion. Through attending church services at his hostel and his newfound ability to read, which allowed him to read from the Bible, Martin deepened his faith and began a lifelong journey of being a follower of Jesus Christ. Martin met members from Bakht Singh Assembly, a prominent Christian church organization in India, and was baptized in that church. Martin, being filled with a new faith, became very active in church and in fulfilling his church responsibilities. He began teaching gospel lessons at church, and was even acted as the main preacher on many Sundays. Martin would often be sent to other churches in the area on an assignment as a guest preacher. Part of his ecclesiastical responsibilities included going to different villages across southern India to proselyte and preach the gospel. This was Martin’s introduction to missionary work. Martin would visit villages where very few families were Christian; these villages were predominantly Hindu. He would visit with these families of other faiths and talk to them about Jesus. Some would not be interested, but some would. Most of the families in these villages were poor farmers. The ones that converted to Christianity would spend lots of money to take the bus to travel to church, which was located far away in the next village. Martin was known for being a family man. His dedication to his faith and family was of the utmost importance to him. Martin always sought to go the extra mile to provide for his family. While not often, when his grandchildren came to visit him in India, Martin would ensure they had the best experience possible.
One memory that stands out to his grandson, Samuel Jayaagaran, was when Samuel wanted to try one of the coconuts from the coconut tree in
Martin’s yard at their home. Martin, despite his old age, then climbed the tree by himself and cut down a few coconuts. Samuel and his siblings feasted on those fresh coconuts, but the greatest memory to them was seeing their grandpa in action, providing for his family.
Martin also had to stare down danger at times to take care of his family. One time, Martin’s son stepped on an unseen scorpion on the ground with his bare foot. Martin swiftly grabbed the scorpion with his hand and crushed it. Martin then traveled with his son for many hours to travel to the nearest hospital, which was hours away from their home, so his son could be treated. Memories like these show how Martin was not afraid of hard work to provide for his family.
After completing his education, Martin went on to become a teacher by profession. He
was a math teacher, teaching high school students throughout his career, which passed over 30 years. At the time, this was a very prestigious job. For the first time in Martin’s life he belonged to a different socio-economic class than the one he grew up in. Martin used the money he made to build a house, which in the area he lived in, was considered a luxury.
Martin taught in the public education system in India throughout his entire career. Education was a high priority in Martin’s home. All three of his sons went on to achieve an education, including higher education. His sons attended similar Christian-influenced colleges, such as Sacred Heart College in Tiruppattur, India. This was a standout achievement for Martin and his family. In the village they lived in, very few had an education. Most were poor and had little to nothing to their name. Martin demonstrated that through persistence, anything was possible, and his children carried on that legacy their efforts to receive an education.
After Martin’s retirement, he counseled with the leaders of his church, and having used a generous portion of his retirement fund, he built a church in his very own neighborhood.4 Martin was the lead pastor, at this church, often giving sermons and playing the harmonium, a traditional Indian instrument, during the worship services. A unique pillar of Martin’s church
was how it aimed to give back to the community. It was not uncommon for food to be served
after church on a Sunday. All were welcome to join. Through his church community, Martin was able to give back to the greater community. As he did as a young man, Martin continued to serve as a missionary for his church even in his later years. Martin would travel by autorickshaw, traditional 3-wheel vehicle in India, to faraway villages to preach to those that have never heard of Jesus Christ. He would bring members from his local congregation with him and they would walk around villages and sing songs about Christ and play instruments to garner attention. If permitted, Martin and his group would enter the home and share brief spiritual messages. If his grandchildren were in town, he would take them with him.
Martin wanted his family to see the joys of sharing the gospel and being engaged in service. He served in his local church for the remainder of his years till he passed away in July of 2023. At his funeral, many were present. Both members of the church he served in, locals in the community, and friends he built along the way. Martin’s life was truly one of dedication and service to God and his fellow man, and has been an example to many, especially his family, of what it truly means to be a man of God.
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