Nalla Tan nee Navarednam was born in Ipoh, Malaysia. She married a fellow
physician from Singapore in 1952 and since then has made Singapore her home.
She is a consultant physiotherapist, counsellor and sex educationist. She was Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
She pioneered sex education in Singapore and wrote the bestsellers on sex education for the young -- You Need To Know (1976) and Beyond Your Navel (1977). She has also published poems, short stories and essays on social issues. Besides her love for literature, she also enjoys painting -- in 1992, she held a one-woman art exhibition in which her oil paintings and charcoal drawings were displayed.
Tan is also active in community work. In 1978 she was awarded the Outstanding Woman of the Year Award by the Business and Professional Women's Association and in 1984 she was honoured with the Friend of Labour Award by the NTUC.