Sarangapani established direct contact with the Self-Respect Movement in India when he became the agent in British Malaya (then including Singapore) for the distribution of its magazine, Kudi Arasu.
These links were strengthened in 1929 and 1954, when he helped to arrange Periyar's visits to Singapore and Malaya to spread his message to local Tamils.
Former Singapore President Sellapan Ramanathan has noted that ...In the early 1950s Thamizhavel Sarangapany helped many members of the Indian community to register themselves as citizens of this country.
The Indians who are now living in prosperous Singapore must never forget his efforts in encouraging and securing citizenships for them.In 1937, he married Lim Boon Neo, with whom he had six children (four sons and two daughters).
In 2004, Sarangapani's birth centenary was marked in Chennai, by tributes from leading Tamil poets, and a seminar on his life and achievements.