Tamil Malar

The daily newspaper Tamil Malar was first published in Singapore on 1 March 1964, with T Selvaganapathy as its editor. Tamil Malar’s launch was of special significance as Tamil Murasu, Singapore’s only Tamil newspaper then, had been suspended for a year (July 1963 – July 1964) due to a strike by its employees. Furthermore, the period of 1963 -1965 was fraught with political turmoil over Singapore’s future as a part of Malaysia and the possibility of separation. Tamil Malar’s publication assumed more significance against this backdrop as it conveyed the views of the Singapore government each day to the estimated 100,000 Tamils then in Singapore. 

In its first issue, Tamil Malar’s editor had stated the following as the daily’s objective: “With salutations to Mother Tamil, your Tamil Malar is launched with the aims of developing the Tamil language, protecting the Tamils’ welfare, promoting Tamil culture, promoting unity among Tamils as well as supporting Malaysian Tamils in living harmoniously and progressing with the other races as good Malaysian citizens.” The first issue also carried a message from then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew: “Your newspaper will be able to give Tamil-speaking people the necessary fortitude to tide through these times of crisis.”

Makkal Achagam, a cooperative located in 430 Race Course Road, published and printed Tamil Malar. This cooperative consisted of six members -- community leader Dr N. Ramasamy, his wifeamasamy, (the custodian of Makkal Achagam), Kumarasamy (an employee at Pasir Panjang Power Station), Malar Manickam, Sarangapany (both employees at Singapore Port), and M S Veerappan (secretary of the Singapore Dravidian Progressive Association). 

Tamil Malar grew steadily, incorporating several elements such as editorials, political, local and global news, insights from India, interviews, as well as literary content. Marketing tactics like an annual public vote for the best actor and actress helped drive sales growth. In 1972, the sales of Tamil Malar’s Sunday edition topped 106,000 copies. Writers such as Paranan, Ulaga Nathan, and Pe. Tha. Rasan contributed to the editorial team at different periods. The paper featured articles on social issues concerning the Tamils, including the state of the Tamil schools, uncertainties over obtaining citizenship, local higher education opportunities in Tamil, and the problems regarding the publication of Tamil books. Readers wrote in to the paper’s comment section, entitled Mullum Malarum to air their concerns about community issues.  

When Tamil Murasu started publication again in 1964, Tamil Malar came to be considered its competitor and alternative. Though both were initially evening dailies, Tamil Malar transformed itself into a morning newspaper on 31 March 1975. Tamil Murasu followed suit on 2 April 1975. Tamil Malar was soon confronted by several challenges. Selvaganapathy stepped down as its editor in 1978. The assets of N T S Arumugam Pillai, the then-publisher of Tamil Malar and a wealthy plantation owner from Penang, were frozen after he became mired in a tax evasion case. This in turn led to financial and other troubles for the paper. After some 16 years of publication, Tamil Malar finally closed its doors on 14 March 1980. Tamil Murasu went on to survive as Singapore’s only Tamil newspaper to date.



For more information
Sinasamy, Latha. Tamil Malar: Voice of the Tamil Community (1964-1980). Singapore: National University of Singapore (Department of History), 1999. (Call no.: RSING 079.5957 SIN)

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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.