Chennai :

Veteran media personality and Vikatan group chairman V Balasubramanian passed away at a private hospital in Chennai after a brief illness. He was 79. He had served as editor and publisher of Ananda Vikatan, a widely read Tamil weekly founded by his movie-moghul father S S Vasan.

During his tenure, Balasubramanian launched Junior Vikatan, a racy, tabloid-like weekly that set a new trend by dishing out an exciting fare consisting of political reporting, investigative stories and serialized historical novellas.

Balasubramanian became a test case of the extent of legislative privileges when in 1987 the assembly speaker ordered his arrest for publishing on the cover of his magazine a cartoon on legislators. M G Ramachandran was chief minister at that time. While speaker P H Pandian insisted he had “sky high” powers, Balasubramanian stuck to his guns and went to jail.

Observers at the time couldn’t miss the irony of Balasubramanian having produced an MGR-starring film ‘Sirithu Vazha Vendum’ (Live life smiling) earlier.

“He was released in two days after protests erupted all over the country but our editor was not satisfied with that. He filed a lawsuit against his wrongful arrest, asked for token compensation and won his case,” cartoonist Madhan, who served as joint editor of the Vikatan group, said. “He framed the cheque for the compensation amount and displayed it in his room,” said Sudhangan, veteran journalist who started career with Vikatan.

Balasubramanian was an expert farmer, with special interest in the cultivation of high-yielding winter crops. A dog lover, he bred German shepherds. He was a successful aviculturist and is known for having bred many types of parrots.

His father, S S Vasan, was a celebrated journalist, freedom fighter and film magnate – he was the proprietor of Gemini Studios.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / TNN / December 20th, 2014