Apparav and Sreenivasan, both veteran compositors, left Sarangapany and never returned to him even after Tamil Murasu was later restarted. In 1963, when Tamil Murasu became closed due to workers strike, T Selvaganapathy with some of the veteran workers from Tamil Murasu began the Tamil Malar which was simultaneously published from Kuala Lumpur. The formation of Malaysia in 1963 allowed for the incorporation of Singapore as a state within an expanded Malaysia that included Sabah and Sarawak.
But many in Singapore hoped that Singapore will eventually become a part of Malaya. Unfortunately, owing to the preponderance of ethnic Chinese in Singapore and its special significance for the British Army East of Suez Canal, Singapore was left out of the Federation of Malaya when it became an independent country as Malaya. Amongst them there was another long term editor M Chidambaram, who had worked for Tamil Murasu far longer than anybody else and who became deaf by being slapped by a Japanese soldier during the war years. As the popularity of Tamil Murasu arose, G Sarangapany brought over V T Arasu, A Murugaiyan, T Selvaganapathy and Murugu Subramaniyan as sub-editors to help him run the newspaper, while he expanded his business operations to Kuala Lumpur and within Singapore. Tamil Murasu beat its competitor Tamil Nesan and became the populist newspaper supporting Tamil nationalism within the context of a Malaya that was moving rapidly towards becoming an independent country. Tamil Nadu at that time had the best living conditions as compared to Malaya. The post-war years made the Tamils decide between staying in Malaya and returning home to their villages in Tamil Nadu. It was also a period of intense debate concerning the future of citizenship for all Tamils in Malaya. The British supported the festival as it was non-communist populist movement coming in the wake of the killing, jailing, and exiling of all the trade unionists who were the leaders of the Tamil community from 1946 onwards. Sarangapany’s important role in launching the Tamils Representative Council in 1952 as an umbrella organisation for all the Tamil social organisations in Singapore and its major festival, the Thamizhar Thirunaal (Festival of Tamils), earned him the recognition that he enjoys today among the older generation of Tamils in Malaysia and Singapore. The other Tamil newspapers were either short-lived or had change of owners and editors. Sarangapany (referred in Tamil as KO SA). Tamil Murasu, for much of its history, was dominated by one man – G. A number of reasons can be advanced for this historical amnesia.
In the contemporary understanding of Tamil history, nobody mentions the contributions of Tamil Nesan and Tamil Malar to Singapore. Both Tamil Nesan and Tamil Murasu and later Tamil Malar played a crucial role in defining the Tamil community as the dominant community of Indians in Malaya and by extension Singapore. With the creation of political communities of Malays, Chinese and Indians after the war, all the Tamil newspapers had a role to play in defining the new Malaya and the position of Tamils within it. The Second World War, and the defeat of the British at the hands of an Asian power Japan changed all that. None would have imagined that the sun would set on the British Indian Empire (including its extension into Burma, Bencoolen in Sumatra, Malay States and the Straits Settlements) that was ruled with the help of the Indian sepoys, the best administrative talent and labour power of India (See my forthcoming book on leading Tamils before the Second World War(1). While the pre-war years were not the years when the Tamil community was crystallized as a political community, this paper together with another daily and well-run newspaper Tamil Nesan provided the backdrop of the community reflecting the Tamil community on both sides of the Bay of Bengal. Suppiah for the Tamils Reform Association, the newsletter of the organisation was given to G Sarangapany, who as a young man, showed dedication to its continued promotion. Eighty years of a newspaper in Tamil is a long time indeed. On Sunday 5 July 2015, Tamil Murasu, celebrated its 80th anniversary since its humble beginnings on 6 July 1937.
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