By Tanya Steele
Connecting community across the airwaves, a volunteer broadcaster reading the news in Upwey at 3MDR has gained recognition for her work for the Tamil-speaking community in Melbourne.
Saranya Balakrishnan received a Bruce Volunteer Recognition Award in Dandenong on 2 December 2024. Star Mail Journalist Tanya Steele caught up with this inspiring media volunteer to find out how it all began.
‘Gathering information and sharing with others is something I truly enjoy,” said Ms Balakrishnan, who has volunteered with the team at 3MDR nearly every Sunday for eight years.
“I was really, really surprised because I didn’t expect any award for my work,” she said.
The newsreader was congratulated across social media on January 10 by her fellow volunteers and the team at 3MDR in Upwey where she has honed her skills as a broadcaster, providing a dedicated voice to connect communities across the globe.
“Saranya has played an instrumental role in her community through her voluntary work as an Emcee in Melbourne,” the post read.
“Her role as a Tamil news anchor reporter at 3MDR 97.1 FM has allowed her to share important news and keep the community informed, ensuring that the Tamil diaspora remains connected with both local and global events.”
Ms Balakrishnan along with many other volunteers received her award at a ceremony held in Dandenong.
Julian Hill MP, Federal Member for Bruce and Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs presented at the ceremony, along with the City Council of Dandenong, led by Mayor Jim Memeti who acknowledged and applauded Ms Balakrishnan’s work.
Recalling the day as she shared a stage with others receiving recognition in her community, Ms Balakrishnan said she felt honoured to be alongside many people in her community who had been volunteering for such a long time.
“They had been working so many years – and I thought, we are doing something valuable,” she said.
Ms Balakrishnan said she would also like to thank her team at the 3MDR radio station for their continuous support and encouragement.
“Working at a radio station has always been my dream job,” she said.
First going to air on April 9, 1994, the Sanganatham Tamil Community Volunteer Broadcasting team has provided a vital space for the Tamil-speaking population in Melbourne to tune into.
As a news reader, emcee and more, Ms Balakrishnan has been contributing with fellow longtime volunteers Wicki Wickiramasingham and Senthil Nathan for the Tamil community on the Sanganatham program since 2016.
She has also made contributions to Channel 31 as VJ for the Tamil Oli program and also acts as an emcee across Melbourne for many cultural and musical events.
Having a longstanding interest in community and connection from a young age in India, Ms Balakrishnan said she has always been a social person and loves connecting with people.
“I used to contribute to the school prayer sessions,” she said.
When Ms Balakrishnan moved to Australia in 2013 she said it gave her a new opportunity to develop her skills in media and communication.
“After coming here, I thought why can’t I try here? It’s in the mindset,” she said.
After searching for Tamil radio stations in Melbourne she found the 3MDR Sanganatham Tamil Radio show online.
“I contacted them and went straight to the station the next day, I shared my knowledge and interest in working with them, and that’s how my journey in radio began. I’ve been working there ever since,” she said.
Julian Hill MP said Ms Balakrishnan has had such a positive impact on their local community through her work and that presenting her with a Bruce Volunteer Award was ‘an absolute pleasure’.
“Showing a profound commitment to volunteerism and community engagement, Ms Balakrishnan uses her platform to amplify local Tamil voices – fostering unity and celebrating Tamil Australians rich heritage,” he said.
The Bruce Volunteer Recognition Awards are an annual tradition in the south-east, celebrating individuals whose volunteer efforts create positive change within their communities.
Ms Balakrishnan said the core purpose of her work is in her language – Tamil.
“I love speaking in Tamil, and I aim to promote it across various platforms, to encourage the youngsters to incorporate it into their daily lives here,” she said.
Tamil is one of the oldest living languages, with over 2,000 years of literary tradition. Spoken primarily in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, it belongs to the Dravidian family and is rich in poetry, philosophy, and culture.
“As a classical language, Tamil remains vibrant and widely spoken today, making it a cornerstone of South Indian identity and heritage,” Ms Balakrishnan said.
A meaningful Tamil phrase related to community service and Tamil language is as follows:
Periya paṇiyāṟṟuvatu makkaḷiṉ cēvāyiṉāḷ tāṉ
“Great work is done through service to the people.”
Ms Balakrishnan said this phrase emphasizes the importance of serving the community and reflects the idea that true greatness comes from helping others.
“It aligns well with Tamil culture, which values social harmony and service to the greater good,” she said.
In her time at 3MDR Ms Balakrishnan said she has come across many people and their life stories and that she has also seen growth in the Tamil community.
“I can see people are getting motivated and inspired,” she said.
“We can get knowledge, or whatever help they want from the radio community.”
Ms Balakrishnan lives with her family in Cranbourne West and she said they are the ‘backbone’ of what she does and has always approached her volunteering as a job.
“I’m coming to this at 100 per cent,” she said.
The radio newsreader dedicated her award to her family— her husband and two kids.
“They always support and help with my work,” she said.
“We are representing our community, and we are representing our people around us, and we can show what people are facing.”
Even when going through the birth of her children and travelling home to visit her parents, Ms Balakrishnan has sent her work through to her team at 3MDR.
“I just got discharged from the hospital, and I came to my home, and I straight away went to the recording room,” she said.
“I always feel that moment was reflective of how deeply I am involved in this work,” she said.
A great believer in the power of radio, Ms Balakrishnan said she has been further inspired to do more than news updates and has launched a new program for 2025 surrounding a ‘No Plastic’ campaign.
“I wanted to offer something truly valuable to the community, something that can benefit their everyday lives,” she said.
The dedicated newsreader will continue to serve her community and people can tune into her show every Sunday – she said she now feels an even greater sense of responsibility for what she does and is eager to give back to the community more and more in the coming years.
“My whole soul is fully connected, I feel so proud of myself and of how I did all these things,” she said.
