 Vallalarpuram Sennimalai Natarajan was born on 19 June 1939, in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.He graduated in medicine in 1965 and secured a post graduate degree in 1968, both from the University of Madras.Subsequently, he went to UK for higher training in geriatric medicine at the General Hospital, Southampton in 1973 and obtained the degree of MRCP and accreditation as a specialist in geriatric medicine from the Joint Committee on Higher Medical Training, UK.