THANGARASAN1of4 - Achievement
Channel: 50FACES
Date: 13/09/2014

Who is he? He looks the same as he was 15 years ago; the same long sleeve shirt, same dressing, and his mannerisms haven't changed much. He is a familiar face at many Tamil language related conferences and seminars. Slightly shorter than others, with a side-parted thick white hair, he does not wear dentures although he is missing quite a few teeth! But when starts speaking in Tamil, his speech is still clear as crisp. 

Who is he? 39 Tamil books in the Spore National Library has been authored by him. He doesn't merely say he is a teacher, but proudly proclaims himself as Tamil teacher Thangarasan.

The triple skill sets of a writer, teacher and social worker is what makes up M.Thangarasan. At 80 yrs old (2014), he has witnessed Singapore’s steady growth over the years, contributed to the local Tamil literature scene and helped the community in many ways.

At that time, Singapore being a state within Malaya, composed mostly of villages and plantations. There were many Tamil schools in Singapore.  The schools were separated in accordance to the language mediums. Hence there were Tamil, Chinese and Malay schools, and all subjects were taught in these respective languages.

English language was required to unite the people. Singapore's honorable leader Mr Lee Kuan Yew stated at that time, “in the next 20 years I will achieve this unity”. Today it’s a city with skyscrapers, mother tongue as 2nd language, bilingual policies and world-class education.