K. M. Balasubramaniam

K M Balasubramaniam was a writer and activist of Indian origin. He wrote mostly in the Tamil language. Balasubramaniam was a fervent advocate and follower of E.V. Ramasami Periyar, the founder of Dravidar Kazhagam and a social activist. Later, he joined forces with C.N. Annadurai, the founder of DMK - Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. In 1938, he was arrested and imprisoned for six months for his participation in the executive committee formed to lead the anti-Hindi agitation. Along with Annadurai, he accompanied Periyar to Bombay to discuss the concept of Dravida Nadu with Mohammed Ali Jinnah. Despite being a spiritualist who delved into philosophy and Saivite literature, Balasubramaniam was skilled in both Tamil and English.

V.S. Srinivas Shastri referred to him as a master of humorous, cultivated, and idiomatic expressions. K. Thirunavukarasu, a Dravidian historian, expressed his surprise at Balasubramaniam's transformation from an atheist who moved the resolution in support of atheism at the self-respect conference in Tirunelveli to a spiritualist. He also mentioned that Balasubramaniam had accompanied a team of Dravidian leaders, including B.R. Ambedkar, to meet Jinnah and had delivered a Thiruvachagam lecture. Balasubramaniam gained recognition as Thiruvachakamani after he translated Manikkavacakar's Thiruvasagam into English, which he published in 1958. He sold half of the five hundred copies he printed in South Africa, and the preface was written by the Home Minister Home Minister belongs to the game show genre. Zee >> Read More... at the time, MR. Bhaktavatsalam.

The Vice-President of India, Sarvapalli S. Radhakrishnan, attended Balasubramaniam's public lecture on Periyapuranam in Chennai in May 1961 and requested him to translate Tirukkural into English. Balasubramaniam expressed his wish that Radhakrishnan becomes the president, which came true a year later on May 13, 1962. The same year, Balasubramaniam completed his work on the Kural text, for which Radhakrishnan wrote the preface. Many consider Balasubramaniam's translation of the Kural text as more comprehensive and poetic than earlier translations.

He translated the commentaries of Parimelazhagar, Kalingarayar, and Manakkudavar into English, incorporating parallels from the works of the Koran, the Bible, Shakespeare, Alexander Pope, Milton, Dryden, Francis Bacon, George Herbert, and Dr. Johnson. His translation is highly praised by scholars and readers alike for its detailed notes and ability to capture the essence of the original text. Balasubramaniam also began translating Sekkizhar's Periyapuranam, but his death in 1974 left it incomplete.