Born on 22 Feb 1934, S. Varathan, distinguished actor, director, writer, producer and scholar, was a Cultural Medallion recipient in 1984. Co-founder of the Rational Drama Troupe, and founder of the Singapore Indian Artistes' Association, he has played an active role in the development and documentation of the local Tamil drama scene.

S. Varathan was born in Singapore in 1934 and two years later, moved to South India with his family. There, he received his primary and secondary school education. Here he was also inspired by the code of conduct advocated by the DMK (Dravidan Munaitra Kalagam) political party. The values of duty, dignity and discipline would feature prominently in his later career as an artist.

After he received his GCE O level certification—becoming Tamil Nadu's top Tamil language student in the process—he returned to Singapore in 1953. He found work as an administrative clerk in a shipping firm, but spent much of his time attending performances by theatre groups from India. Many of these featured a nationalistic commitment to the Tamil language and social messages which convinced him of the power of drama to address social ills such as the inequalities of caste in Singapore too.

In 1955 he co-founded the Rational Drama Troupe with his friend, T. Rajan, and they went on to stage 14 productions before a lack of money forced the dissolution of the group in 1966. He then focused on writing and acting in radio plays.

In 1971, with the assistance of his friend Ram Narayanasamy, he initiated the Singapore Indian Artistes' Association (SIAA) with the aim of getting all Indian artists under one organisational banner. The SIAA would stage several plays throughout the '70s and the '80s. Varathan incorporated new artistic elements with each successive play, as it was his aim to involve as many Indian artists as possible, from writers to musicians to production crew.

From 1989 Varathan has tirelessly researched the history of the development of Tamil theatre in Singapore. He compiled his experiences in dramatic circles and the experiences of other Tamil theatre practitioners. The fruits of this scholarship have been his valuable books, also available in English translation, documenting the scene’s history. These include Memories Never Fade (1990), Personalities of Tamil Drama in Singapore (1991), and, with S. Hamid, Development of Tamil drama in Singapore (2008).

From the early 1990s, Varathan has not only been mentor to a younger generation of the SIAA, but also played an important role in helping Singapore Indian artistes gain their due recognition through the organising of various award ceremonies.

In 1983, 1984 and 1985, he received the Best Director award at the Drama Festival. In 1984, he received the Cultural Medallion for his contributions to theatre.