Our beloved father and grandfather, Tinniam (Balu) A. Balasubramaniam, age 87, passed away peacefully in his sleep on September 25, 2021.  We take comfort that he did not suffer and was of sound mind and body until the end.

Balu was born and raised in Trichinapalli, Tamil Nadu, India and was a brilliant student getting top grades.  He married the love of his life, Mallika, on January 30, 1964 and was teaching at the Coimbatore Institute of Technology.  In 1969, he took the courageous step to leave India with a $100 in his pocket for graduate school in the US despite having a wife and 2 young daughters to support.  He received a Ph.D. in Thermodyamics from Northeastern U in 1975 and had a career that took him from teaching and research to consulting at Arthur D. Little, and then to a technology startup that was acquired by Cummins Diesel Engines and finally full circle back to working in a biotech startup.

He was a quiet and kind man who was also dedicated to the Indian Community in Boston through his involvement in building and growing the Sri Lakshmi Temple in Ashland, MA. Together with Mallika the temple was an important focus of their lives together and he continued this work even after her passing in 1995.  Through this service he has touched the lives of innumerable people and helped create a landmark institution of worship for Hindus in the US.  He was truly a model of the adage that “actions speak louder than words”.  We will miss him deeply and are grateful to have had him in our lives for so many years.

He is survived by daughters Swarna Balasubramaniam of Sugarland, TX, and Shobana Albrecht and her husband Brian of Winchester. Brother of Saroj Shankarnarayanan of India. He is also survived by 3 grandchildren, Vikram, Lalitha, and Kamala. Beloved husband of the late Mallika (Narayanan) Balasubramaniam and son-in-law of the late Mangalam Narayaniyer.

A Funeral Service will be held Saturday, Oct 2nd at 10 AM in the Chapel at Newton Cemetery, 791 Walnut St, Newton Centre, MA 02459. Visiting hours at the Douglass Funeral Home, 51 Worthen Rd. Lexington on Friday from 4pm to 7pm. We kindly invite relatives and friends to join us and we request that everyone be masked.