Tamil researcher, historian Orissa Balu dies at 60
Balu was treated in a private hospital in Chrompet for chest pain and other health complications.
CHENNAI: Renowned historian, Tamil researcher, scientist and writer, popularly known as Orissa Balu alias Siva Balasubramani, passed away on Friday evening in the city due to cardiac arrest. He was 60.
Balu was treated in a private hospital in Chrompet for chest pain and other health complications.
Uraiyur Sivagnanam Balasubramani was born on April 7, 1963, in Uraiyur, Tamil Nadu. For over 21 years, he researched sea turtles and human migration patterns, believing that ancient Tamil traders followed the routes of the turtles. Along with researchers N Kannan and Nagarajan, Balu researched the Tamil-Korean relationship and the travel patterns of ancient Tamils to Korea around the 1st Century. He also researched Kumari Kandam, a mythical ancient sunken continent under the Indian Ocean near Kanniyakumari.
He obtained his establishment ‘Orissa Balu’ because of his works on Odiya custom when he moved to Orissa in 1989.
Chief Minister MK Stalin said on social media: “Balu worked actively in unearthing the historicity of Tamils through ocean links. His selfless work and enthusiasm for Tamil welfare would be cherished forever.”
