S. M. Abdul Jabbar

S. M. Abdul Jabbar (26 June 1939 - 22 December 2020) was a Tamil radio broadcaster, cricket commentator, writer and actor. S. M. Abdul Jabbar was born into a middle class Muslim family and grew up in the small town of Sathankulam, presently in Thoothukudi district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Having relatives in Sri Lanka, he relocated to Colombo for his higher studies at Zahira College, Colombo. After completing his education he moved back to India due to the tense political situation in Sri Lanka. Born in the Golden Age of Radio, Jabbar became a regular radio listener during his childhood in India and Sri Lanka. He often wrote letters to radio stations about their programs. On one occasion, he wrote a letter to All India Radio that was critical of its Tamil language cricket commentary. The letter was read on air, and he was invited to show his skill by providing Tamil commentary of the Ranji Trophy match between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The opportunity changed his life.