Iqbal, K T M

K T M Iqbal (b. 1940) is one of Singapore's literary pioneers and a recipient of the Cultural Medallion, the highest award given in the field of arts in Singapore. He is one of the few literary figures who supported the modern poetry format (new poetry) during its early days, promoting the growth of Tamil literature. While poets of his generation opposed new poetry, fearing it would destroy traditional poetry, Iqbal initially accepted that view. However, he changed his mind when he realised that innovative trends were necessary for the growth of literature. He supported new poetry and even started writing in that format. Iqbal continues to mentor the younger generation of writers interested in poetry. In his literary journey spanning over 60 years, Iqbal has written more than 1,000 traditional poems, new poems, and children's songs. 

Iqbal was born in Kadayanallur, India. Due to family circumstances, his schooling was interrupted at an early age. He came to Singapore in 1951 and studied in Umar Pulavar Tamil School on Maxwell Road for a few months. Then, in 1953, he started working as an office assistant at Gattey & Bateman, an accounting firm. Ten years later, he resumed his education through the Adult Education Board. He then joined Cantonment Primary School and later moved on to Gan Eng Seng School, completing his education there in 1967. During this period, Iqbal studied Tamil with a Tamil teacher on Sundays. 

In 1973, he joined Singapore International Merchant Bankers as a stock Registrar and retired from there as a manager in 1998, after 25 years of service. 

Iqbal's literary journey began when he studied poetry grammar for a competition run by Tamil Murasu, which had been held since the 1950s. He started writing traditional poems in 1956, and in 1957, he published a memorial issue for Umarupulavarwith poet Kadayanallur Jameela. Subsequently, in the 1960s, he not only wrote poems for various Tamil newspapers, such as Tamil Murasu, Malaya Nanban, and Tamil Nesan, but also participated in poetry programmes organised by the radio station. He made his debut as a songwriter for children’s songs through a children's show organised by Radio Singapore in the 1970s and wrote around 200 songs. 

Iqbal's poems have been published in more than 15 anthologies since 1975. His poems have also been translated into English and published in a collection titled The Evening Number & Other Poems (2008). Some of his poems are included in the school curriculum in Singapore. The poem 'Water' was painted on the cars of the Singapore Mass Rapid Transport in 1995. The same poem was also featured in the Expo 2000 held in Germany.

Iqbal has served in various literary positions. He was a member of the editorial board for a Tamil poetry collection published by the National Arts Council in 2000 and served on the National Arts Council Literature Committee from 2004 to 2006. He has also acted as a Judge in various literary competitions conducted by government organisations.

He has won many awards such as Mont Blanc Literary Award (1996), Tamilavel Literary Award (1999), S.E.A. Write Award (2001), Kalaratna Award (2004) and the Cultural Medallion (2014).  MediaCorp Tamil News also felicitated him with the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.



For more information
Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay. “KTM Iqbal,” Esplanade Offstage, 24 November 2021. https://www.esplanade.com/offstage/arts/k-t-m-iqbal.
Mahizhnan, Arun. KTM Iqbal: Cultural Medallion 2014. Singapore: National Arts Council, 2014. https://www.nac.gov.sg/docs/default-source/singapore-arts-scene-files/cultural-medallion/2014/iqbal.pdf?sfvrsn=ee2aa2ca_2. 
Tachihara, Lynn. Cultural Identity - My Contribution To Tamil Language and Cultural Identity. Singapore: Viddsee Studios, 2021. https://www.viddsee.com/video/cultural-identity-ep-4/x4knk. 

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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.