துரைசிங்கம்) (28 August 1898 – 30 March 1979) was the first local Member (Minister) for Education in the Communities Liaison Committee (CLC) formed to build communal fraternity in British-ruled Malaya, from 1951–1955.
After graduating on 19 December 1922 with a BA degree in Law & Political Economy at Cambridge University, Thuraisingham studied and did his pupillage at Middle Temple in the Inns of Court in London and became a Barrister-at-Law in 1924.
Being so close to Johore meant that he could also manage his father's large rubber estate in Skudai across the causeway as his parents and siblings had moved back to Jaffna in Sri Lanka by then.
With the imminent Japanese occupation of Singapore, Thuraisingham moved with Pearl to Kuala Lumpur in 1942 and set up home at 7B Treacher Road.
This happened at a time when the politics of race was complicating the vision of Dato Onn Jaafar for an independent multiracial Malaya.
Another horse, aptly named Commotion, often created havoc before the gates were opened and ran like the thunder to win the mile (circa 1959) at the STC.
This alliance led Thuraisingham to Onn Jaafar with whom he forged a close friendship that culminated in a political camaraderie that lasted over three decades.
His camaraderie with Dato Onn strengthened with the Japanese occupation of mainland Malaya fuelling their common desire for Malayan independence.
Dato Onn's favourite posture was sitting with both his feet off the ground folded together on the armchair and drinking tea from the saucer while discussing political strategy with Thuraisingham in the piano room at the Treacher Road house.
For many years Thuraisingham's law office was above a general store at 71 Ampang Street before he moved (in 1968) to the Kwong Yik Bank Building nearby.
Among his clientele were rich Malaysian Chinese businessmen whose trust he won which also enabled him to provide pro-bono (free) legal services to those who could not pay.
Thuraisingham worried about the growing wedge between Onn and Abdul Rahman, arranged for a meeting at his home in Treacher Road (now Jalan Sultan Ismail) for both men to settle their differences.
His wife Datin Thayamany said in an interview to New Sunday Times (31 December 2006): On the way back from a visit to a teachers' training college in Kota Bharu, he came straight to me and told me he wanted to resign and return to his law practice and social work.
I thought he had worked hard enough and since he wanted to practice again, I supported him.Thuraisingham, the first leader of the Ceylon Federation of Malaya, a political party representing the small Tamil community from Sri Lanka, was appointed a senator in 1957, retiring in 1974 due to ill health.
Built to accommodate the growing number of race fans, the new grandstand was declared open by the Prime Minister of Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman, on 3 April 1956.
Thuraisingam decided to rope in the entire team of track riders and riding boys to carry on with the races instead.