[5][6] His father, David, and mother, Navamani, were teachers in a Christian missionary school aimed at children of the Piramalai Kallar community.

He left the CPI to join the United Communist Party of India (UCPI) led by Mohit Sen and was elected to Lok Sabha from North Chennai.

[10][11] On 21 May 1991, Pandian was seriously injured[12] while accompanying the then Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, when the latter was assassinated in a suicide bomb attack.

[18][8] Some of the other causes advanced by Pandian during his career included speaking for social justice, eradication of superstitions, and promoting science education.

[19] As an author, he had written over 30 books in Tamil and English, spanning topics across economics, social justice, philosophy, and history.

[23] His son David Jawahar is a former registrar of the University of Madras, Tamil Nadu, and was a professor at the Bharathidasan Institute of Management, Tiruchi.

[24] Pandian died from sepsis at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai on 26 February 2021, at age 88.