K. Balasingam
MLC
க. பாலசிங்கம்
Unofficial Member (Tamil),
Legislative Council of Ceylon
Personal details
Born(1876-06-23)23 June 1876
Udupiddy, Ceylon
Died4 September 1952(1952-09-04) (aged 76)
Alma materJaffna College
Royal College, Colombo
ProfessionLawyer
EthnicityCeylon Tamil

Kathiravetpillai Balasingam (Tamil: கதிரவேற்பிள்ளை பாலசிங்கம்; 23 June 1876 – 4 September 1952) was a Ceylon Tamil lawyer and member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon and Executive Council of Ceylon.

Early life and family

Balasingam was born on 23 June 1876 in Udupiddy in northern Ceylon.[1] He was the son of Kathiravetpillai.[1] Balasingam was educated at Jaffna College and Royal College, Colombo.[1]

Balasingam had a son (Cumaraswamy) and a daughter.[1]

Career

Balasingam joined the legal profession after finishing his education.[1] He practised law in Colombo and became a District Judge.[1]

Later life

After retirement Balasingam was appointed to the Legislative Council of Ceylon in 1914 as the second Tamil member.[1] He was appointed to the Executive Council of Ceylon in 1924.[1] He played a key role in the establishment of the College of Ayurvedic Medicine, Hospital of Indigenous Medicine, State Mortgage Bank, Judicial Services Commission and the Public Trustee's Department.[1] He was also one of the earliest proponents of diverting the waters of the Mahaweli River to assist farming.[1]

Balasingam died on 4 September 1952.[1] A 60 cents commemorative stamp honouring Balasingam was issued on 22 May 1984.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Arumugam, S. (1997). Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon. pp. 21–22.


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