02/07/2025
The Man Who Never Stops: The Story of Chennai’s ‘Paper Thatha’
What makes a 94-year-old rise before dawn every single day at 3:30 AM?
Not just habit. Not just duty. But an unshakable sense of purpose.
In the quiet lanes of Gopalapuram, Chennai, while the city still dreams, K. Shanmugasundaram—fondly known as ‘Paper Thatha’—is already on his trusted bicycle, delivering the day’s news and fresh milk to waiting doorsteps.
Since the early 2000s, he has never missed a day. Sixty newspapers. Fifty milk packets. Rain, fever, or even a global pandemic—nothing can keep him home.
Once his deliveries are done, he heads straight to manage a wedding hall—before sitting down to read every single paper he just delivered, cover to cover.
“Even when I have a fever, I never skip a day. I love being around people. That’s why you’ll never find me sitting idle at home,” he once told The Hindu, his face lit up with a smile that could warm any heart.
This isn’t just a routine. This is dignity. Discipline. Purpose.
A life lived on two wheels, propelled by the simple joy of being useful to others.
A former auto parts dealer and water can supplier, Shanmugasundaram has raised six children, cares lovingly for his wife, and gently ignores his ten grandchildren when they plead with him to finally slow down.
“He inspires me every morning,” says a neighbour. “Watching him makes you want to be a better person.”
For ‘Paper Thatha’, that bicycle is more than a ride. It is freedom. It is his identity. It is proof that a life with purpose has no retirement age.
May we all find our own bicycle—our own reason to keep moving—no matter how old we grow.