After feeling stuck in life and making bad choices that made him even more unhappy, Shan Arumugam said he attempted suicide in 2012. However, not long after, he said he met missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With his limited English, he said he asked the missionaries who they were. In response, they gave him an invitation to their English class, and his life was changed forever.
“The Church saved my life. It came into my life and changed it,” shared Arumugam, a junior from India majoring in business management.
Now, whenever he faces temptation or difficulty, Arumugam said he follows his motto “Do good, be good.” He said he lives his life being kind, loving others and treating everyone as equals. He said he has not lived an easy life because he and his family are ranked low on the Indian caste system.
According to Prospect magazine, “The caste system is a hierarchy that is still used today, ranking the society from a social status of high class to lower class.”
Arumugam said, “It’s tough. Even if you have everything, you cannot go up a level because that’s how society is set for us … and it goes from generation to generation. If my grandpa made slippers, my dad would have to, and so would I.”
The limitations of the caste system made Arumugam want to leave his small town, and two missionaries came into his life when he needed it the most, he said.
“The Church is not looking for rich people, but they always look for your heart. I am from a place that is based on a caste community system, but when it comes to the [gospel], there is no caste system,” he noted.
Saved by the Church
He said he started doing “all the bad things” at a young age. “I had a lot of freedom, and I was seeing other people doing drugs and drinking alcohol. I was into it, and I always wanted to try those things.”
But then in 2013, he said he went out of his way to speak to two young male missionaries who gave him a card for an English class they were teaching. He attended the course, and he said he was baptized three months later on Nov. 27, 2013.
He said he stopped finding temporary happiness through substances and found joy in the gospel and following Christ.
He said his desire to end his life completely left him and now abstains from drinking alcohol and doing drugs.
A year after his baptism, he began his mission for the Church in India. Arumugam shared, “My mission president introduced ... me [to President Tanner] who was visiting my mission. We got to know each other a little bit, and then he told me I could apply for BYUH, and he offered me the IWORK scholarship.
“I always wanted to pursue an education, and that was my dream ... India gave me the gospel life, but Hawaii taught me how to live the gospel life.”
Sula Jayasekara, a senior from Sri Lanka majoring in information technology, said, “Shan is always ready to meet a challenge with the right attitude.
“We all struggle in life, but my friend never gives up, no matter how hard things get in life. I have seen Shan overcome challenges through his faith. He always trusts in the Lord and believes that things will work out as long as he keeps the commandments.”
Sharing the aloha spirit
Margaret Krishnavel, a former BYUH student from India, said she has known Arumugam for more than two years and has been impressed by the way he treats others. “He is friendly to everybody. He could make friends anywhere he goes. He’s very good at networking.”
Arumugam said he recognizes people who do small jobs because they are just as valuable as people who do “higher up” jobs.
In an Instagram post, Arumugam shared a photo with two people from the Custodial Department at BYUH. The caption said, “Every time I see these two people, I say, ‘Hi,’ and [give a] huge Hawaiian kiss because I love them, genuinely.”
He shared his desire to acknowledge those who do small jobs is because “as an Indian boy, I have done many low-level jobs. Not many people get treated properly, so I give back to the people around me.”
He shared an experience of walking in downtown Honolulu with friends. He would stop, talk and shake the hands of those living on the street. He said his friends asked, “Are you okay? Those are drug addicts.”
He said to them, “Those people who are drug addicts ... I was there in that situation. I used to sleep on the street. I know the feeling.”
Arumugam said he is a firm believer in fighting loneliness and being a friend for others and showing love. “I just want to [serve] the lonely people, you know, with an emphasis on paying it forward.”
Jayasekara said, “One thing that I admire about Shan is his aloha spirit. Everyone who comes across him or meets him will know that spirit he carries. No matter if he’s having a good or a bad day, Shan always has the aloha spirit and will gladly share it with others.”