The quiet town of Vathalagundu in this district burst into celebration with cakes and sweets after discovering that the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/navi-pillay-wins-nobel-peace-prize-for-promoting-international-law-and-human-rights-23654211" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">2026 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Navaneetham Pillay</a> traces her ancestral roots to this region.
Following the announcement, relatives and locals gathered in Vathalagundu to commemorate the historic milestone.
They expressed immense pride that a descendant of indentured labourers, who left the region to work in South African sugarcane plantations over a century ago, has earned the world's most prestigious honour.
"We have always heard from our grandparents that Navanethem Amma belongs to our extended family, specifically originating from the Vathalagundu area in Dindigul district... It is a matter of immense pride and joy that someone from our lineage and our native soil has won the <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/health-and-fitness/article/california-scientist-wins-a-nobel-prize-2026-for-medicine-then-makes-school-lunches-for-his-kids-23653591" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">world's highest Nobel Prize</a>," a woman who said she belongs to the same lineage of Pillay, told reporters.
Another relative shared the generational link connecting their family across continents: "Our family has lived here for 13 generations, and she (Navaneetham Pillay) belongs to the seventh generation that migrated abroad long ago. We learned about this connection through our grandfathers, though we didn't fully grasp its significance at the time. Now that she has been honoured with the Nobel Prize, we are thrilled to discover she is our kin and are <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/nobel-prize-in-literature-2026-canadian-poet-anne-carson-honoured-for-giving-modern-twist-to-mysticism-and-antiquity-23654040" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">celebrating her achievement</a> on behalf of our family."&nbsp;
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They expressed immense pride that a descendant of indentured labourers, who left the region to work in South African sugarcane plantations over a century ago, has earned the world's most prestigious honour

Tamil Nadu town celebrates Nobel laureate Navaneetham Pillay's ancestral roots

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