By Ruth Yong Wang Theen
For Associate Professor Dr. Thiru Subramaniam, the Light of the World first appeared quietly through his mother’s tears, unanswered prayers, and a simple decision to sit in a church.
What followed was not an immediate conversion, but a journey shaped by resistance, surrender, loss, and deepening intimacy with a God who patiently called him by name.
Today, Thiru works as an educator in a university in Kuala Lumpur, and is a single parent with four grown daughters. His story stretches beyond survival and is a testament of God’s faithfulness over three decades.
Roots of devotion and faith
Thiru, 58, was raised in a home where Hinduism was not merely cultural but deeply practised. “I was born in a devout Hindu family and practised the faith for 25 years. I started going to the temple at a young age, and never missed Friday prayers.”
His faith shaped his daily rhythms and identity. “Lighting up the ‘vilakku’ (light) for prayers was my daily task every evening. I would also apply ‘vibuthi’ on my forehead daily without fail,” he explained.
His growing up years, however, were marred by hardship. His father struggled with alcohol addiction and the family endured years of lack.
Yet his mother remained steadfast, choosing to stay in the marriage and keep her family intact.
A Christmas salvation, and a turning point
It was during this season of struggle that his mother reached a turning point in her faith journey.
Hearing a Christian friend speak about God’s goodness, she made a quiet decision. “She decided to go to a church and sit there,” Thiru remembered.
On 25 December 1991, she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Saviour. She clung to a promise from Scripture. “As what Bible says in Acts 16:31, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household,” he continued.
At the time, Thiru mocked his mother’s decision. He misunderstood Christianity, assuming it required cultural loss and outward change. Yet God was quietly at work.
She believed Acts 16:31 with all of her heart, and her faith bore fruit. In 1992, her husband and Thiru accepted Christ.
For the young man, however, the God of Christianity was still a faraway Being, disinterested in the things of man. All of that changed when Thiru was waiting for his university acceptance letter. As he fretted and worried, his mother prayed.
“After praying, she said, “Your offer letter is on the way and the postman will bring it soon.” True enough, at noon that day, I received my offer letter,” the educator said.
That moment planted a seed of faith, and something shifted internally.
“I felt a change in my heart. I knew there must be a God who did this.”
Clarity and conviction
After completing his tertiary education, he received his first government posting as a teacher to Beaufort, Sabah. In that sleepy town, loneliness filled his days.
“God had a plan, because in isolation I received clarity. That is when I decided to truly follow Jesus,” he said.
Thiru began attending an SIB church and studying the Bible with fellow believers, but said no to water baptism.
“When I returned to Alor Setar in 1993, my father was going to be baptised that December and although I did not want to, he obeyed his father’s instructions and was baptised then as well,” he said with a grin.
Looking back, the choice made under pressure slowly turned into strong conviction that the Lord he had chosen was indeed the Sovereign God.
As Thiru grew in relationship with God, his behaviour changed.
“I used to be a very angry person, but God delivered me from my anger problems. When God delivers us from something, It is permanent,” he reflected.
Loss, lament and deeper communion
That intimacy deepened through suffering. In 2016, Thiru became a single parent to four girls. “I almost gave up my faith when I was made a single parent in 2016. I just felt God has abandoned me.”
A change in prayer reshaped his perspective. “I changed my prayer to ‘Lord, what You want me to learn from this?’ This was the game changer.”
From then on, a new rhythm emerged. Every morning, Thiru wakes up at 2:30am for communion with Jesus.
His faith has shaped his relationships with his siblings, children and friends. He is still praying for his siblings to discover God for themselves. As for his children, he has raised them in the habit of prayer.
God has also given him a clear calling: evangelism.
This call has been affirmed through various encounters, including a divine exchange with a young man contemplating suicide. These conversations and experiences have solidified Thiru’s belief that he is called to share God’s love far and wide.
A God who calls us friend
As Thiru reflects on how the Church can support believers originally from other faiths, his words carry the weight of lived experience.
“Seeking truth should not stop. Christians should only talk about the greatness of Jesus Christ. This is enough to transform the heart of non-believers. When we start lifting up the name of Jesus Christ, all other names will crumble. When a person come from other faith, they tend to carry baggage, so do not judge them in anyway. Just show them the love of Christ,” he advised.
After 33 years of walking with God, his confidence is unshaken. His faith is marked by intimacy.
“I know for sure God has been holding me with His righteous right hand during the lowest point of my life. When you hear His voice, that changes your life. What a great God we have, that He has called me a friend,” he finished.
