www.ukmalayalee.com started as a small community portal in 2004 and since then it and had regular visitors which was the sole motivation for the site to be updated every day. As time went by hits grew and our visitors asked for more news from various categories. This request could be materialised only by turning this portal into a business venture. Thus the site got registered under the company called Insight Media Communications. The site now receives stories through its voluntary correspondents located in various parts of Europe and through subscription with India Abroad News Service, the foremost news agency for NRIs. The news is focused on a NRI perspective and therefore we are able to provide news that matters to our readers and for who we stand for.

The company also ventured into the print media by bringing out the first study material on the UK Malayalee community titled 'UK Malayalee' in the year 2007. This was also the third anniversary of www.ukmalayalee.com. This magazine received widespread appreciation from the British Library, the Edinburgh Library and its a source of information to anyone who wants to know about Malayalees in the UK. The magazine is catalogued in the British Library and the Edinburgh Library.

Apart from the wide appreciation for it from its own people, the website and the magazine and the editor is short listed for Best Web Media, Best Literature, Outstanding Achievement by the Medway Culture & design Awards 2008, which comes under Medway Council, Kent. The awards will be published on November 27, 2008.

Balagopal was born in Gujarat, northern India to Malayalee parents Balakrishna Pillai and Sridevi Balan. After his early schoolings in Gujarat he continued his schoolings in Kerala's prestigious Infant Jesus Anglo Indian Boys High School, Tangasseri, Kollam in a boarding school.

After his Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) matriculation exams he joined Fatima Mata National College until he completed his Masters in English Language & Literature. Immediately after this he joined Sabarigiri Residential School, Anchal as an English teacher and during this period he acquired the Diploma in Education from BC Roy College for Education, Calcutta, India.

After completing Diploma in Public Relations and Journalism from the School of Management Studies, Kochi he joined Middle East's noted English newspaper Times of Oman as sub-editor. He continued as sub-editor for a period of six years. Family commitments forced him to take a road not taken and arrived in the UK in 2000.

He joined as Homelessness and Housing Advice Officer with Medway Council, Kent where he is still working. It was during this period that he realised about starting a media for the UK Malayalees and thus evolved www.ukmalayalee.com.

He is also the editor of the first ever research material on UK Malayalees which was published in 2007. Apart from his work he is also the Company Secretary for the Medway Ethnic Minority Forum, an umbrella organisation of ethnic minorities in Medway and also the School Governor for the local school. Balagopal is married to Anita Balagopal and has got two children Akhil Balagopal and Lekshmi Balagopal

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