M. Balakrishnan (born 18 September 1938) is a

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

an author, popularly known by his pen name ''Ma Ilangkannan''. He was the first Tamil writer to receive the South East Asian Writers Award in 1982

Early life and career

Mayandiambalam Balakrishnan, M. Balakrishnan in short, was born in Singapore in 1938. His family moved to

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

State in India when he was two years old, from where, he learnt to read and write

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he returned to

and continued his studies at Kalaimagal Tamil School. His family had to shift between rented houses and the uncertainty disrupted his education. Though his school education was hindered by circumstances, he was an avid reader of Tamil magazines and newspapers. Although he was unable to continue his education, he succeeded in acquiring knowledge and bettered his literary skills. From 1957, Balakrishnan worked as a storeman with British military forces stationed in Singapore. Later he became a typist with the translation department of the Ministry of Culture, where he worked until 1997.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balakrishnan, M. 1938 births Singaporean people of Tamil descent Singaporean people of Indian descent S.E.A. Write Award winners Singaporean writers Living people