President Tharman writes condolence letter to Singaporean man who lost his brother after caring for him for so many years

SINGAPOREAN: After Suresh Vanaz's brother died last month, he received an outpouring of condolences from many Singaporeans who were touched by Mr Suresh’s evident love and care for Seelan, who had suffered from cerebral palsy. 

Mr Suresh, now 47, was the subject of a video that went viral in December 2024, showing him in an argument with another man at VivoCity. As it turns out, as he was wheeling Seelan out of the elevator, he accidentally bumped into the man, who then muttered a racist remark, and Mr Suresh confronted him about it. 

In February 2025, the brothers were featured in an article in The New Straits Times, where Mr Suresh talked about his devotion to his brother. He carried Seelan to Batu Caves in Selangor every year as part of his offering for Thaipusam.

Seelan passed away peacefully on Aug 29 at the age of 42.

As it turns out, among those who sent kind words to Mr Suresh was President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who had gotten wind of Seelan’s passing.

He shared a photo of the letter sent to him by the President, which read:

“Please accept my deepest condolences on the passing of your beloved brother, Gunaseelan.

I read the recent CNA story of your care and inspiring devotion to Seelan throughout his years of living with disability. You had a beautiful bond with each other, through your joys and struggles. You stood by him and gave him not just security but warmth and dignity.

I hope and trust you find peace and strength in the memories of the love you shared with Seelan.”

In a recent Facebook post, Mr Suresh thanked the President for “taking the time to read about Seelan’s life and the love and care that surrounded him,” adding that these words meant a lot to him.

As in many of his posts, Mr Suresh added a tribute to his beloved brother, calling him “truly a beautiful soul.”

“He may have lived with disabilities, but he never let that define him… Wherever Seelan went, he left behind a smile, a memory and a little piece of his beautiful soul. That is why he was so deeply loved by so many,” he wrote.

Mr Suresh also wrote that he was proud of Seelan, who had taught that love has no limitations.

As for the letter from President Tharman, he added, “To receive such kind words from our President is something I will always treasure. Thank you, Mr President, for remembering my brother and for acknowledging his beautiful journey.” /TISG

Read also: Singaporeans leave kind messages to man after his brother with cerebral palsy dies