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.

K. Balasingam
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

Early life and family edit

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 edit

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

Later life edit

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 edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Arumugam, S. (1997). Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon. pp. 21–22.