The year 1915 marked the birth of the scholar Dr. N.S. He was born to Dr. N. Balarama Aiyer and Sivakamasundari. Dr. N. Balarama Aiyer was also a renowned scholar proficient in English, Tamil and Mathematics. He was teaching in the Karaikudi high school and later moved on to teaching in the Alagappa University. Dr. N. S. was a very prodigious child. He had an excellent memory and a craving to learn things. He was able to read Oliver Twist written by Charles Dickens at the age of six, under his father’s guidance.

 

Dr. N.S. was an outstanding student – topped every class in school and college. He also participated and excelled in competitions like elocution, debates, literary writing etc. He completed his M.A. in History in the Annamalai University, Chidambaram scoring the top rank.

 

Becoming an I.A.S. officer was his dream. Though he had the aptitude and the caliber for I.A.S., he was unable to appear for the examination as his family could not support him financially. He married Swarnambal in the year 1930. He was unemployed then and remained so for nearly a year.

That one year of unemployment was spent in reading books and acquiring knowledge. He also showed an interest towards Carnatic music and witnessed many concerts performed by renowned artists of that time.

 

Later in the year 1931 he got a job in the Sub-Registrar’s office. He served in several places in Tamilnad and he also got promoted as the Sub-Registrar. It was during his service at Pollachi he discovered that he had a flair for teaching. He taught Tamil in his free time to students who were appearing for the Vidwan exam (Dr. N.S. was a Vidwan in Tamil by then).

 

At the age of 45, he became a Lecturer in History in the Jain College, Chennai. He completed his Doctoral thesis called Sangam Polity in the year 19-. This book still stands as an authority in the subject. From the Jain College, he moved to take up the position of Senior Lecturer in the Madras University. After serving in the Madras University for several years, he took up the post of the Head of the Department of Ancient History in the Madurai Kamaraj University in the year 1960.

 

The beginning of his academic career at a late age of 45 brought out the author in Dr. N.S. He started researching and writing books in both English and Tamil under various genres – History, Political Science, Economics, Poetry, Short Stories etc. After retiring from the MAdurai Kamaraj University, he was offered an honorary post for teaching in the North Eastern Hill University in Shillong, Meghalaya. He served in that University for three years and took to complete retirement from public life.

 

Public lectures, seminars, conferences were all part of his academic career. He got the opportunity to get acquainted with great scholars like Dr. Bhaskar, Rt. Hon. Srinivasa Sastri, Dr. Aasa Gnanasambandham. He presented several outstanding papers in International seminars and also Chaired numerous conferences. Wherever he went, he attracted the intellectual crowd and they swarmed him like bees. His lecture halls were always overflowing.

 

After his retirement, he spent his complete energy and time to bring out more and more books. Like all intellectuals, he secluded himself and stayed with his son at Udumalpet living a quite life. His achievements are many yet he remains incognito in one of the remote corners of India. He still continues to achieve and is staying young at the age of 94. Going through all his works, the readers are bound to understand that such a scholar is indeed a rare specimen.