[3]: 40–41 Arulappa was born on 28 August 1924 in a Kamma family to Rajamma and Chinnaiah in Kilacheri in present day Tamil Nadu, then British India.
[4]: 37–40 Arulappa evinced keen interest in pursuing the vocation of priesthood and also assisted the priests as an altar boy during his childhood.
He was consecrated principally by Pope Paul VI and co-consecrators Cardinals Alfrink and Conway on 13 February 1972 at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
[3]: 40–41 Arulappa recollected that on 12 December 1971, he received a letter from the Apostolic Nunciature stating that he had been nominated as the archbishop of Hyderabad and all that he could do was just kneel down and pray like never before.
[4] Apart from the formation of the Hyderabad Archdiocese Education Society (HAES), 35 high schools and 14 junior and degree colleges were opened.
[4] In 1974, the Archbishop visited Calcutta for a CBCI meeting and proceeded to invite Blessed Mother Teresa to work in the archdiocese of Hyderabad.
In January 1979, when Blessed Mother Teresa arrived in Hyderabad for the first time, the Archbishop was there to receive her and later took her to the residence of the then-Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Dr. Marri Chenna Reddy, who offered a part of a hospital in new Bhoiguda in Secunderabad for establishing a home for the dying destitute.
He remarked that one should have respect for other religions[4] and used to maintain cordial relations with leaders of other religious affiliations and was even invited to various fora.
Arulraj, state youth wing general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Andhra Pradesh.
[4] The Archbishop never turned down any invitation extended by the different church societies belonging to either Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant backgrounds.
The yearly United Christmas Celebrations organised by laymen of Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant backgrounds was the brainchild of the lay Methodists of Hyderabad.
[10] ex-officio On 8 February 1997, the Archbishop celebrated his episcopal silver jubilee in the grounds of St. Mary's High School in Secunderabad.
On his retirement, the Archdiocese of Hyderabad released a book Love and Serve, a brief memoir authored by Archbishop Arulappa himself.
Arulappa was known for his uprightness and never minced words in distinguishing religion from culture....admired for his patriotism and bold espousal of cultural nationalism....He was a man of the masses and people not only of the Catholic community but those from all religions loved and respected him immensely....a man of great image who dwelt on the hearts of multitude of people on the dint of his unforgettable social service....During his three-decade-long tenure, he had seen the growth of the Archdiocese of Hyderabad from a mere 10 parishes to 72 in the districts of Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Medak and Nizamabad....Perhaps the most fundamental and insidious challenge, is “lack of political will”.
Samineni Arulappa (1999) perceives a reason behind this frequently lamented phenomenon: “Apparently there seems to be no political will to solve the problems of education.
Or, perhaps more pressingly, can anything be done about the increasing void of “character, intellectual and moral excellence” among the populace in the meantime?The eminent Catholic scholar and theologian Father John Wijngaards, MHM, L.S.S.
Speaking at the plenary of the Association of Theologically Trained Women of India (ATTWI), held at the Auditorium of Stanley Girls High School, Chapel Road, Hyderabad, in 1999, he said that women in the Catholic Church were given duties like Bible reading, offering communion, etc., and were also holding independent positions in religious orders and managing institutions.