M. Balasundaram

Murugesu Balasundaram (Tamil: முருகேசு பாலசுந்தரம்; 7 April 1903 – 15 December 1965) was a Ceylon Tamil lawyer, politician and Member of Parliament.

Early life and family

Balasundaram was born on 7 April 1903.^[1] He was the son of Reverend K. S. Murugesu, a Methodist clergyman.^[1] He was educated at Kilner College, Jaffna and Royal College, Colombo.^[1] After school Balasundaram joined the Ceylon University College, graduating in 1923 with a B.Sc. degree.^[1][2] He received a scholarship to study at Trinity Hall, Cambridge from where he graduated with a B.A. degree.^[1]

Balasundaram married Sinnammah, daughter of Sinnathamby.^[1] They had four sons (Gnanasanmugan, Yogasundaram, Balakrishnan and Sivanandasundaram) and two daughters (Somasundaravalli and Yogeswari).^[1]

Career

After returning to Ceylon Balasundaram worked as journalist for a brief period before joining the legal profession as an advocate.^[1]

Balasundaram was one of the founding members of the Jaffna Youth Congress in 1924.^[3] He stood as the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi's (Federal Party) candidate in Kopay at the March 1960 parliamentary election. He won the election and entered Parliament.^[4] He was re-elected at the July 1960 parliamentary election.^[5] He stood as an independent candidate in Kopay at 1965 parliamentary election but was defeated by the ITAK candidate S. Kathiravelupillai.^[6]

Balasundaram died on 15 December 1965.^[1]

References

← Members of the 4th Parliament of Ceylon (1960 (1960)) → Speaker: Tikiri Banda Subasinghe Prime Minister: Dudley Senanayake Leader of the Opposition: C. P. de Silva Central Province (23) S. S. Abeysundera Bernard Aluwihare K. M. K. Banda M. D. Banda R. R. D. Bandaranayake T. William Fernando Abdul Cader Shahul Hameed T. B. M. Herath T. B. Ilangaratne T. B. Jayasundera D. H. Jayawickrema U. P. Y. Jinadasa Tissa Kapukotuwa C. A. S. Marikkar Chandrasena Munaweera R. S. Pelpola Donald J. Ranaweera E. L. Senanayake R. W. Tennekoon T. B. Tennekoon P. B. Aloysius Weerakoon J. D. Weerasekera N. Wimalasena Eastern Province (11) T. Ahambaram M. S. Kariapper M. A. Abdul Majeed M. I. M. Abdul Majeed P. Manicavasagam Ahmed Hussain Macan Markar M. E. H. Mohamed Ali C. Rajadurai N. R. Rajavarothiam S. M. Rasamanickam Wijayabahu Wijayasinha Northern Province (13) V. A. Alegacone A. Amirthalingam M. Balasundaram S. J. V. Chelvanayakam V. Dharmalingam Alfred Duraiappah V. A. Kandiah E. M. V. Naganathan V. N. Navaratnam M. Sivasithamparam T. Sivasithamparam A. Sivasunderam K. Thurairatnam North Central Province (8) A. H. de Silva C. P. de Silva Sirimewan Godage E. L. B. Hurulle S. B. Lenawa R. B. Ratnamalala Maithripala Senanayake P. M. K. Tennakoon North Western Province (16) M. A. Adikari E. M. R. B. Ekanayake Hugh Fernando I. M. R. A. Iriyagolla L. B. Jayasena M. H. Naina Marikkar M. S. B. T. B. D. B. Monnekulame W. J. C. Munasinghe Albert Peries A. U. Romanis Stephen Samarakkody A. H. Senanayake Richard Gotabhaya Senanayake Tikiri Banda Subasinghe Mudiyanse Tennakoon R. B. Tennekoon Sabaragamuwa Province (16) P. B. Bandaranayake D. F. Hettiarachchi P. B. G. Kalugalla Wimala Kannangara Asoka Karunaratne V. T. G. Karunaratne W. A. Karunasena A. E. B. Kiriella Cyril Mathew N. M. Perera Abeyratne Pilapitiya Clifford Ratwatte Dudley Senanayake H. G. Somabandu H. Weragama Soma Wickremanayake Southern Province (19) W. D. S. Abeygoonawardena Matarage Sirisena Amarasiri D. P. Atapattu Neal de Alwis Lakshman de Silva William de Silva M. P. de Zoysa C. A. Dharmapala Prins Gunasekera Montague Jayawickrama P. L. Jinadasa Don Roy Rajapaksa George Rajapaksa Lakshman Rajapaksa R. G. Samaranayake Senapala Samarasekera Percy Wickremasinghe S. A. Wickramasinghe Justin C. Wijayawardhene Uva Province (10) W. P. G. Ariyadasa K. Y. M Wijeratne Banda B. H. Bandara J. G. Gunasekera R. M. Gunasekera M. S. A. Peiris K. M. P. Rajaratne Kusuma Rajaratne C. P. J. Seneviratne W. G. M. Albert Silva Western Province (35) Felix Dias Bandaranaike S. D. Bandaranayake Somaweera Chandrasiri M. Ruskin Fernando T. Quintin Fernando Bibile Fonseka Cholmondeley Goonewardena Leslie Goonewardena D. B. R. Gunawardena Philip Gunawardena Percy Jayakodi A. E. Jayasinghe D. Shelton Jayasinghe S. de S. Jayasinghe Gamini Jayasuriya J. R. Jayewardene M. C. M. Kaleel D. C. W. Kannangara Pieter Keuneman R. B. Lenora Abdul Bakeer Markar Wijayapala Mendis Anil Moonesinghe A. J. Niyathapala James Peter Obeyesekere III Dayasena Turnolius Pasqual K. E. Perera Paris Perera Ranasinghe Premadasa Edmund Samarawickrema M. P. de Z. Siriwardena Bernard Soysa V. A. Sugathadasa S. K. K. Suriarachchi Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Appointed (6) *This list is unfinished.

← Members of the 5th Parliament of Ceylon (1960 (1960)–1964) → Speaker: R. S. Pelpola/Hugh Fernando Prime Minister: Sirimavo Bandaranaike Leader of the Opposition: Dudley Senanayake Central Province (23) Bernard Aluwihare Alick Aluwihare K. M. K. Banda M. D. Banda L. B. Dassanayake T. William Fernando Abdul Cader Shahul Hameed T. B. M. Herath T. B. Ilangaratne K. Abdul Jabbar T. B. Jayasundera U. P. Y. Jinadasa Tissa Kapukotuwa Chandrasena Munaweera R. S. Pelpola Shelton Ranaraja Abeyratne Ratnayaka E. L. Senanayake D. G. Sirisena R. W. Tennekoon T. B. Tennekoon J. D. Weerasekera U. B. Weerasekera Edmund Wijesuriya Eastern Province (11) T. Ahambaram M. E. H. Mohamed Ali M. C. Ahamed A. L. Abdul Majeed M. A. Abdul Majeed M. I. M. Abdul Majeed P. Manicavasagam Ahmed Hussain Macan Markar C. Rajadurai N. R. Rajavarothiam S. M. Manickarajah S. M. Rasamanickam Indrasena Soysa Northern Province (13) V. A. Alegacone A. Amirthalingam M. Balasundaram S. J. V. Chelvanayakam V. Dharmalingam Alfred Duraiappah V. A. Kandiah V. Navaratnam E. M. V. Naganathan V. N. Navaratnam M. Sivasithamparam T. Sivasithamparam A. Sivasunderam K. Thurairatnam North Central Province (8) C. P. de Silva A. H. de Silva Sirimewan Godage K. B. Ratnayake E. L. B. Hurulle S. B. Lenawa R. B. Ratnamalala Maithripala Senanayake P. M. K. Tennakoon North Western Province (16) M. A. Adikari M. A. J. Wijesinghe Hugh Fernando S. D. R. Jayaratne L. B. Jayasena M. H. Naina Marikkar M. S. B. T. B. D. B. Monnekulame Jaya Pathirana Albert Peries A. U. Romanis Stephen Samarakkody G. W. Samarasinghe A. H. Senanayake Richard Gotabhaya Senanayake Mudiyanse Tennakoon Kavisena Herath U.B. Wanninayake Leelananda Weerasinghe D. P. Wickremasinghe Sabaragamuwa Province (16) B. A. P. B. Balasuriya L. de S. A. Gunasekera Premachandra Imbulana P. B. G. Kalugalla Asoka Karunaratne V. T. G. Karunaratne W. A. Karunasena Cyril Mathew Stanley Molligoda N. M. Perera Clifford Ratwatte P. R. Ratnayake Dudley Senanayake Dhanapala Weerasekera Soma Wickremanayake P. B. Wijesundara Southern Province (19) K. H. G. Albert S. W. Dahanayake Wijeyananda Dahanayake Neal de Alwis Lakshman de Silva M. P. de Zoysa Don Edwin Thilakeratne H. W. Dissanayake D. S. Goonasekera Montague Jayawickrama Patrick de Silva Kularatne D. A. Rajapaksa Don Roy Rajapaksa George Rajapaksa Lakshman Rajapaksa Senapala Samarasekera Mahanama Samaraweera Percy Wickremasinghe S. A. Wickramasinghe P. P. Wickremasuriya Uva Province (10) W. P. G. Ariyadasa B. H. Bandara S. B. Ekanayake D. M. Gunasekera J. G. Gunasekera K. M. P. Rajaratne Kusuma Rajaratne Amarananda Ratnayake C. P. J. Seneviratne W. G. M. Albert Silva Western Province (35) Felix Dias Bandaranaike S. D. Bandaranayake I. A. Cader Somaweera Chandrasiri Colvin R. de Silva W. Danister de Silva Vivienne Goonewardena Razik Fareed T. Quintin Fernando T. W. Meryl Fernando Cholmondeley Goonewardena Leslie Goonewardena D. B. R. Gunawardena Philip Gunawardena Lakshman Jayakody D. Shelton Jayasinghe Gamini Jayasuriya J. R. Jayewardene M. C. M. Kaleel Pieter Keuneman Wijayapala Mendis Anil Moonesinghe James Peter Obeyesekere III Dayasena Turnolius Pasqual K. D. David Perera Paris Perera R. S. Perera Edmund Samarakkody D. S. Samarasinghe M. P. de Z. Siriwardena Bernard Soysa V. A. Sugathadasa S. K. K. Suriarachchi Stanley Tillekeratne Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Wijayabahu Wijayasinha Appointed (6) Badi-ud-din Mahmud Singleton Salman Savumiamoorthy Thondaman *This list is unfinished.