On one of his trips back home to India, Pillai married Pakiriammal. In 1929, Pillai this time with his new bride returned to Singapore. However, upon his return, he found out that he was no longer employed in the provision shop at Serangoon. This was due to the untimely death of the shop owner. As a result, Pillai and his wife had to lodge with a few friends temporarily. However, the store that he worked in previously was up in the market for sale 6 months later. Pillai saw a chance and took it by deciding to buy it himself. He took out a loan of S$2,000 from Indian moneylenders, who were then known as the Chettiars. In no time, Pillai’s business flourished exponentially. The success motivated a venture into the textile business which eventually led him to open up a saree and textile shop next to the provision store. The village, Koorainadu, where Pillai came from was famous for its silk sarees. These sarees are adorned by Tamil women during ceremonial weddings. They are also known to have religious and historic significance in South India. This could have been the reason Pillai chose that line of commerce.
