Tamil Murasu

Tamil Murasu, Singapore's sole Tamil daily, has been in print since 1935, making it the country's third-oldest newspaper, following The Straits Times in English and Lianhe Zaobao in Chinese.

Tamil Murasu's inaugural edition was released on 6 July 1935, at 20 Klang Road under the Tamils Reform Association. G Sarangapani, the association's secretary, assumed the role of editor. Influenced by the reform policies of the Self-Respect Movement in India, O Ramasamy Nadar, A C Subbiah, and G Sarangapani, who initiated the association in 1932 and published Seerthiruththam as a monthly magazine, commenced Tamil Murasu as a weekly publication.

Sarangapani and volunteers sold newspapers for one cent, resulting in approximately 2,000 copies sold in August 1935. Initially a weekly publication, Tamil Murasu became thrice-weekly within three months, with sales reaching 3,000 copies. Despite the increasing sales, the Association decided to discontinue Tamil Murasu due to losses. Recognising its necessity, Sarangapani covered the losses and took over on 2 May 1936. It re-emerged with eight pages priced at three cents, with sales reaching 5,000 copies as the price increased. In 1937, it transitioned to a daily newspaper.

Tamil Murasu ceased publication during the Japanese occupation (1942-45) but resumed after the war. With Malaya's independence in 1957, a separate Malaya edition was introduced. For some years, it was issued as a morning edition in Malaysia and an evening edition in Singapore. In 1960, Tamil Murasu made history by becoming the world's first Tamil daily to feature 12 pages, published on Fridays.

Publication of Tamil Murasu experienced its second suspension when employees went on a one-year strike from 3 July 1963 to 10 July 1964, seeking a pay increase. This period coincided with a significant political crisis, as Singapore debated staying with Malaysia or becoming an independent nation, increasing the demand for a Tamil newspaper. On 1 March 1964, another daily, Tamil Malar  was launched. From 1964 to 1980, both Tamil Murasu and Tamil Malar were two Tamil newspapers in Singapore. Tamil Malar ceased publication in 1980, leaving Tamil Murasu as Singapore's sole Tamil newspaper.

Following Sarangapani's passing in 1974, his family managed Tamil Murasu. The absence of effective leadership led to a sharp decline in daily sales dropping to less than 5,000 copies. V Thirunavukarasu, also known as V T Arasu, assumed the role of editor in 1988, sparking substantial changes in content, appearance, and operations, revitalising the publication. In 1993, the ownership of Tamil Murasu transitioned to Hipro Printing Private Limited in which Sarangapani's family and Arasu were shareholders.

To ensure Tamil Murasu’s continuity, Arasu successfully merged it with Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), a newspaper publishing company in Singapore. The publication resumed on 1 November 1995, as one of SPH's dailies. Tamil Murasu has been sharing news on the internet since the 1990s. In 1999, Dr Chitra Rajaram took over as the editor, making her the first female editor of a daily in Singapore. Arasu continued to serve as editorial adviser till his retirement in 2000.

In 2021, SPH announced plans to spin off its media business due to a significant drop in advertising revenue. This led to the creation of SPH Media Trust, established as a Company Limited by Guarantee, which began its operations in 2021. Tamil Murasu has been published by SPH Media since 1 December 2021.

Tamil Murasu offers a range of publications, including Balar Murasu (since 2017) for children below seven years of age, Manavar Murasu (originally Manimanram started in 1952), and Ilayayar Murasu (since 1999) for youth. Additionally, Tamil Murasu publishes a complimentary English weekly magazine called Tabla! since 2010. During the daily's 85th anniversary in 2020, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recognised Tamil Murasu as "the voice of Singapore's Tamil community."

For more information
https://tamil.wiki/wiki/Tamil_Murasu
https://www.tamilmurasu.com.sg
https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/page/tamilmurasu19360502-1
Gunavalli A. Sundaraju (1990). The Tamil Murasu: The Evolution of a Local Tamil Newspaper 1935-1974. ScholarBank@NUS Repository.

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The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.