Balabaskaran, N

N. Balabaskaran (1941-2023), a multi-talented writer, worked in the Tamil broadcasting industry for over 50 years in Singapore and Malaysia. He has published notable books on the history of Singapore, Malaysian Tamil literature, the history of Tamil journalism, and the lives of some community leaders. He has also worked as a Lecturer at the University of Malaya.   

Born in Kathirgamam, a village in India, Balabaskaran moved to Kulim, Malaya, at the age of 10, where he studied up to the Senior Cambridge level. Subsequently, he pursued his pre-university education in India. During this period, his interest in literature grew, and his first literary article was published in 1962 in the Tamil Nadu magazine Mutharam. In 1963, he joined Radio Malaya as a full-time broadcasting assistant, but switched to part-time status when he pursued university education in the late 1960s. He completed his BA (Honours) and MA in Indian Studies from the University of Malaya in the 1970s. Concurrently, he worked as a Lecturer at the same university during his post-graduate studies.

Balabaskaran moved to Singapore in 1982 and joined the Tamil news section of the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation as a news editor. He retired in 2000 as a senior news editor after serving for 18 years. Subsequently, until 2012, he worked part-time in the media industry. From 2004 to 2008, his current affairs show '30 Minutes' won the Best Writing award for four consecutive years. His productions were enriched by his extraordinary vocal and writing skills.

The Malaysian Tamil Short Stories (1995) in Tamil was Balabaskaran's first book. He expanded his master's thesis and published the English version as The Malaysian Tamil Short Stories (1930-1980) – A Critical Study in 2006. This work has become a standard work on the region's literary history. In 2018, he was awarded the Singapore Literary Prize for his Tamil tome titled G. Sarangapani and the Tamil Murasu – A Current Appraisal (2016). His final book, Singapore–Malaysia: A History of Tamil Literature – Some Turning Points (2018), in Tamil, was published in Singapore before his passing in 2023.

Balabaskaran sharpened the debate over what was Singapore's first Tamil short story and dedicated significant efforts to highlighting Tamil periodicals published during the Japanese occupation of Singapore to the Tamil research community. Despite being an amateur historian, he is remembered for his pioneering research in the history of contemporary Tamil literature and journalism, making significant contributions to these fields.



For more information
Baskaran, Bala. The Malaysian Tamil Short Stories (1930-1980) - A Critical Study. Self Published, 2006
Bala Baskaran, Said Abdullah, and Arun Senkuttuvan. VR Nathan - Community Servant Extraordinary. Singapore: ISEAS Publishing, 2012
Baskaran, Bala. “My Writings So Far (Under Different Names,” Bala Baskaran, 6 May 2008. https://balabaskaran24.blogspot.com/2008/05/my-writings-so-far-under-different.html

தமிழில் வாசிக்க 

Return to home page 

About the Encyclopedia

The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.