->Chris the speller: replaced: Personal Life → personal life

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replaced: Personal Life → personal life

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{{short description|Indian politician}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = T. R. Baalu
| native_name = டி.ஆர். பாலு
| image = The Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, Shri T. R. Baalu addressing at a Conference of the Ministers in charge of National Highways of all the StatesUTs, in New Delhi on June 24, 2008.jpg
| caption = Baalu addressing State Ministers of Road and Highways(India) at a conference in 2008.
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1941|6|15}}
| birth_place = [[Thiruvarur district|Thalikottai]], [[Tanjore District (Madras Presidency)|Tanjore district]] [[Madras Presidency]], [[British Raj]] (now [[Tamil Nadu]], India)
| residence = [[Chennai]], Tamil Nadu, India
| death_date =
| death_place =
| office1 = [[Ministry of Road Transport and Highways|Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping]]
| primeminister1 = [[Manmohan Singh]]
| term1 = 2004–2009
| constituency1 = [[Chennai South (Lok Sabha constituency)|Chennai South]]
| office2 = [[Minister of Environment and Forests]]
| primeminister2 = [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]]
| term2 = 1999–2003
| constituency2 = [[Chennai South (Lok Sabha constituency)|Chennai South]]
| office3 = [[Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas|Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Non-Conventional Energy Sources]]
| term3 = 1996–1998
| primeminister3 = [[H.D. Deve Gowda]]<br />[[I.K. Gujral]]
| office4 = [[Member of Parliament]], [[Lok Sabha]]
| term_start4 = 23 May 2019
| term_end4 =
| predecessor4 = [[K.N. Ramachandran]]
| successor4 =
| term5 = 2009–2014
| predecessor5 = [[A. Krishnaswamy]]
| successor5 = [[K.N. Ramachandran]]
| constituency5 = [[Sriperumbudur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Sriperumbudur]]
| term_start6 = 1996
| term_end6 = 2009
| predecessor6 = R. Sridharan
| successor6 = [[C. Rajendran]]
| constituency6 = [[Chennai South (Lok Sabha constituency)|Chennai South]]
| office7 = [[Member of Parliament]], [[Rajya Sabha]]
| term7 = 1986–1992
| constituency7 = [[Tamil Nadu]]
| party = [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]]
| religion =
| spouse = {{marriage|Renuka Devi Baalu|10 September 1970}}<br /> {{marriage|T. R. B. Porkodi|19 Oct 1970}}
| children = 5, including [[T. R. B. Rajaa|Dr. T R B Rajaa]]<ref name="about"/>
| website = {{official|www.trbaalu.in}}
| footnotes =
| date =
| year =
| source = http://loksabhaph.nic.in/Members/MemberBioprofile.aspx?mpsno=26
| office = [[Treasurer]] of [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]]
| constituency4 = [[Sriperumbudur]]
| term 8 = 2009-2014
2019- [[Incumbent]]
| order =
| office 9 = [[Treasurer(title)|Treasurer]] of [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]]
| termstart = 9 September 2020
}}
'''Thalikkottai Rajuthevar Baalu''', better known as '''T. R. Baalu''' (called as Baalu), is an Indian [[Tamil people|Tamil]] politician. He is the father of [[Mannargudi (state assembly constituency)|Mannargudi MLA]] [[T R B Rajaa|Dr. T R B Rajaa]]. Baalu did his B.Sc. from [[New College, Chennai]] in [[Madras University]] and diploma in drafting engineering drawings from Central polytechnic Chennai. He is currently the [[Member of parliament, Lok Sabha|MP of Lok Sabha]] of the [[Sriperumbudur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Sriperumbudur constituency]], elected five times since 1996 from [[Chennai South (Lok Sabha constituency)|Chennai South]] and [[Sriperumbudur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Sriperumbudur]]. He is an important leader of the DMK party and is known for political loyalty having been in the party since 1957. He now serves as the [[Treasurer]] of [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]], elected unopposed on 3 September 2020. He earlier served as the Principal Secretary of the DMK Party from August 2018 to January 2020.

In his political career Baalu went to jail over 20 times for participating in demonstrations and agitations for public cause. He came to political limelight when he was jailed for one year under [[Maintenance of Internal Security Act]] of 1976 for protesting against Emergency clamped in the country. Baalu was first elected to Parliament as a member of [[Rajya Sabha]] in 1986. He was elected to Lok Sabha in 1996, 1998 and 2004 from Chennai South constituency and from Sriperumbudur constituency in 2009 and 2019. He was Minister of State in the Ministry Petroleum and Natural Gas, also held additional charge of the then Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources and Cabinet Minister of Environment and Forests from 1999 to December 2003 and as Minister of Shipping and Road Transport and Highways from 2004 to 2009. Baalu is the Leader of DMK Parliamentary Party and the Treasurer of the party and is the only DMK member in the 30 member Joint Parliamentary Committee that probes the [[2G spectrum case]], where three members from DMK, namely [[A. Raja]], [[Dayanidhi Maran]] and [[Kanimozhi]] are accused. Baalu is one of the prominent leaders to work towards the implementation of [[Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project]] while he was the minister of Shipping.

Baalu was centre of a controversy involving illicit allocation of gas to his family owned King Chemicals and King Hi Power in 2004. In 2010, there were widespread protests by the local farmers against the Baalu's family owned industrial alcohol distillery in Vadaseri, a village in [[Thanjavur district]] against the establishment of it would reduce the ground water supply in the region. Internal rivalry in the DMK party emerged between Baalu and [[S.S. Palanimanickam]], the MP from Thanjavur constituency and the district secretary of the DMK in Thanjavur, in 2012, when Baalu initiated a survey for railway lines in Thanjavur district.

== Career and personal life ==
Thalikottai Raju Baalu is an important leader of the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) Party. Baalu was born on 15 June 1941 to Rajuthevar and Vadivambal at Thalikottai in Thiruvarur District of Tamil Nadu. He belongs to Agamudayar. He obtained his Diploma in Engineering from Central Polytechnic in Chennai and graduated from [[The New College, Chennai|New College]], Chennai. Baalu's political career started at a very early age of sixteen when he joined the DMK party. He became Secretary of Chennai City District (Unsplit) unit of DMK in 1982.<ref name="about"/><ref name="RC">[[#R.C.|RC]], p. 465</ref>

Baalu was first elected to Parliament as a member of [[Rajya Sabha]] in 1986. He was elected to

Lok Sabha in 1996 from Chennai South constituency and became Minister of State in the Ministry Petroleum and Natural Gas. Towards the end of his tenure, he also held additional charge of the then Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources (now called the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy). Baalu was re-elected to Lok Sabha in 1998, 1999 and 2004 from the same constituency and again in 2009 and 2019 from Sriperumbudur constituency. Baalu served as Cabinet Minister of Environment and Forests from 1999 to December 2003 and as Minister of Shipping and Road Transport and Highways from 2004 to 2009.<ref name="about" />

T.R. Baalu was the Leader of DMK Parliamentary Party during the 15th Loksabha and 17th Lok Sabha and He also held the charge as Chairman of the Department Related Standing Committee of Parliament of the Ministry of Railways. In addition, Baalu was a member of several parliamentary committees like Ethics Committee, House Committee and Consultative Committee of Ministry of Finance. He is also a Member of International World Affairs Council (IWAC).<ref name="about" />

In his political career Baalu went to jail over 20 times for participating in demonstrations and agitations for public cause. He came to political limelight when he was jailed for one year under MISA in 1976 for protesting against Emergency clamped in the country. He protested strongly against the midnight arrest and imprisonment of his party leader [[Karunanidhi]] on 30 June 2001.<ref name="about"/> At that time, he was the union [[Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change|Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change]]. And it was the first time, a Cabinet Minister to be arrested by a [[Tamil Nadu Police|State’s Police Force]]

Baalu is married to Renuka Devi and Porkodi and he has three sons and two daughters.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Wives & Wherefores|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?240630|work=The Outlook|date=8 June 2009|location=New Delhi|accessdate=10 November 2013}}</ref> His first son, R.B. Raj Kumar, is the Chairman of Kings India Chemicals. His second son, [[T. R. B. Rajaa|Dr. T R B Rajaa]] is the incumbent MLA from Mannargudi Constituency elected from the [[2011 Tamil Nadu election|2011]], [[2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election|2016]] and [[2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election|2021]] [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]] elections and the current/first Secretary of [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|the party's]] NRI Wing. His third son, Selvakumar Baalu is the CEO of Twice group.<ref name="about" /><ref name="open">{{cite news|title=Palanimanickam's spat with Baalu comes out in open|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/palanimanickams-spat-with-baalu-comes-out-in-open/article4018356.ece|work=The Hindu|last=G.|first=Srirnivasan|location=Thanjavur|date=21 October 2012|accessdate=10 November 2013}}</ref>

==Elections contested and positions held==
{|class="sortable wikitable"
|-
!width=50|Year
!width=100|Constituency
!width=70|Result
!width=70|Vote percentage
!width=150|Opposition Candidate
!width=70|Opposition Party
!width=70|Opposition vote percentage
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|bgcolor=98FB98|[[1996 Indian general election|1996]]||[[Chennai South (Lok Sabha constituency)|Chennai South]] ||Won|| 61.97||H. Ganesham||[[All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|AIADMK]]||22.95<ref name="LS1996">{{cite web|title=Statistical report on General elections, 1996 to the 11th Lok Sabha|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1996/Vol_I_LS_96.pdf|page=387|year=1996|publisher=Election Commission of India|accessdate=10 November 2013}}</ref>
|- style="background:#ffc;"
|bgcolor=98FB98|[[1998 Indian general election|1998]]||[[Chennai South (Lok Sabha constituency)|Chennai South]] ||Won|| 48.17||Jana Krishnamurthy||[[Bharathiya Janata Party|BJP]]||45.94<ref name="LS1998">{{cite web|title=Statistical report on General elections, 1998 to the 12th Lok Sabha|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1998/Vol_I_LS_98.pdf|year=1998|page=234|publisher=Election Commission of India|accessdate=10 November 2013}}</ref>
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|bgcolor=98FB98|[[1999 Indian general election|1999]]||[[Chennai South (Lok Sabha constituency)|Chennai South]] ||Won|| 60.03||V. Dhandayudapani||[[Indian National Congress|INC]]||34.39<ref name="LS1999">{{cite web|title=Statistical report on General elections, 1999 to the 13th Lok Sabha|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1999/Vol_I_LS_99.pdf|year=1999|page=225|publisher=Election Commission of India|accessdate=10 November 2013}}</ref>
|- style="background:#ffc;"
|bgcolor=98FB98|[[2004 Indian general election|2004]]||[[Chennai South (Lok Sabha constituency)|Chennai South]] ||Won|| 60.41||Sayeed Badar||[[All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|AIADMK]]||36.79<ref name="LS2004">{{cite web|title=Statistical report on General elections, 2004 to the 14th Lok Sabha|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_2004/Vol_I_LS_2004.pdf|year=2004|page=281|publisher=Election Commission of India|accessdate=10 November 2013}}</ref>
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|bgcolor=98FB98|[[2009 Indian general election|2009]]||[[Sriperumbudur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Sriperumbudur]] ||Won|| 44.41||[[A.K. Moorthy]]||[[Pattali Makkal Katchi|PMK]]||41.26<ref name="LS2009">{{cite web|title=Statistical report on General elections, 2009 to the 15th Lok Sabha|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/archiveofge2009/Stats/VOLI/25_ConstituencyWiseDetailedResult.pdf|year=2009|page=124|publisher=Election Commission of India|accessdate=10 November 2013}}</ref>
|- style="background:#ffc;"
|bgcolor=FFA07A|[[2014 Indian general election|2014]]||[[Thanjavur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Thanjavur]] ||Lost|| 36.17||[[K. Parasuraman]]||[[AIADMK]]||50.41<ref name="LS2014">{{cite web|title=Statistical report on General elections, 2014 to the 16th Lok Sabha|url=http://eciresults.nic.in/ConstituencywiseS2230.htm?ac=30|year=2014|publisher=Election Commission of India|accessdate=31 May 2014}}</ref>
|- style="background:#cfc;"
|bgcolor=98FB98|[[2019 Indian general election|2019]]||[[Sriperumbudur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Sriperumbudur]] ||Won||56.4||Vaithilingam.A||[[Pattali Makkal Katchi|PMK]]||20.3
|}

* '''1986–1992''' : was elected as a Member, Rajya Sabha
* '''1996''': Elected to Lok Sabha (Eleventh) for the 1st time
* '''1996'''-'''1998''': [[Minister of State]], Petroleum, Natural Gas and Non-Conventional Energy Sources
* '''1998''': Elected to Lok Sabha (Twelfth) for the second time
* '''1999''': Elected to Lok Sabha (Thirteenth) for the third time
* '''1999'''-'''2003''': [[Cabinet Minister]], [[Natural environment|Environment]] and [[Forests]]
* '''2004''': Elected to Lok Sabha (Fourteenth) for the fourth time from Chennai South (Lok Sabha constituency)
* '''2004'''-'''2009''': [[Cabinet minister]] for Shipping, [[Road Transport]] & [[Highways]].
* '''2009''': Elected to Lok Sabha (Fifteenth) for the fifth time from [[Sriperumbudur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Sriperumbudur]]<ref name="about">{{cite web|title=Political Career|url=http://www.parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/lok13/biodata/13TN03.htm|publisher=National Informatics Centre|work=Parliament of India|accessdate=10 November 2013}}</ref>
* '''2019''': Elected to Lok Sabha (Seventeenth) for the sixth time from [[Sriperumbudur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Sriperumbudur]]

==As a member of parliament and minister==
[[File:Shri T. R. Baalu assumes the charge of Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways in New Delhi on May 26, 2004.jpg|thumb|T. R. Baalu assumes the charge of Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways in New Delhi on May 26, 2004]]
Baalu is one of the prominent leaders to work towards the implementation of [[Sethusamudram Shipping Canal Project]]. He was handling it during his tenure as the minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways.<ref>[[#Gaur|Gaur]], p. 171</ref> The project proposes linking the [[Palk Bay]] and the Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka by creating a shipping canal through the shallow sea sometimes called [[Setu Samudram]], and through the chain of islands variously known as [[Ram Sethu]] or the Adam's Bridge. A few organisations are opposing the dredging of Ramasethu on religious, environmental and economical grounds. Many of these parties and organisations support implementation of this project using one of the five alternative alignments considered earlier without damaging the structure considered sacred by Hindus.<ref>{{cite news|title= Alternative routes for Sethusamudram|url=http://www.nation.lk/2007/04/22/lankan.jpg|work=The Nation|date=22 April 2007|accessdate = 26 June 2012}}</ref> During 2006, the Supreme Court Baalu quashed a case requesting a ban on the project and issues notices to Baalu and the environment ministry.<ref>[[#Gaur|Gaur 2006]], p. 198</ref> With 22 km of dredging remaining, the project is held from March 2010 by a [[Supreme Court of India|Supreme Court]] order seeking the [[Government of India|Central Government]] to clarify the status of the bridge as a national monument.<ref>{{cite news|work=IBN Live|title=Complete Sethusamudram project at earliest: DMK |date=30 March 2012|accessdate=7 August 2012|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/complete-sethusamudram-project-at-earliest-dmk/243974-37-64.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330223326/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/complete-sethusamudram-project-at-earliest-dmk/243974-37-64.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 March 2012}}</ref> He was recruited as a minister in 2009 during the second term on UPA coalition government as it was reported that the Prime Minister was unhappy with Baalu over the corruption charges in Sethusamudram project. But he continued as the head of the DMK parliamentary party and also part of various central committees.<ref>{{cite news|title=Chennai Corner|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?282764|newspaper=Outlook|location=Chennai|last=Iyengar|first=Pushpa|accessdate=30 November 2013|date=26 October 2012}}</ref>

DMK pulled out of the ruling UPA on 20 March 2013 following widespread protests in Tamil Nadu against the central government for not taking up the concerns of Tamils in Sri Lanka in the UN resolution against the alleged human rights violation against Tamils by Sri Lankan government.<ref name="SL">{{cite news|title=Alagiri snubs dad's confidant|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-03-21/india/37902386_1_madurai-strongman-chemicals-and-fertilizers-minister-dmk-s-alagiri|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203052651/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-03-21/india/37902386_1_madurai-strongman-chemicals-and-fertilizers-minister-dmk-s-alagiri|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 December 2013|last=Ghildiyal|first=Subodh|accessdate=10 November 2013|work=[[The Times of India]]|location=New Delhi}}</ref><ref name="sorry">{{cite news|title=Sorry chapter of M K Alagiri performance as Union minister|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sorry-chapter-of-m-k-alagiri-performance-as-union-minister/1093032/|work=The Indian Express|last=C.|first=Raja Mohan|date=25 March 2013|accessdate=10 November 2013|location=New Delhi}}</ref> There was a brief controversy when Azhagiri did not accompany the contigency led by Baalu, the head of MPs from the DMK party, to tender resignation in the Prime minister's office and to hand over the letter of withdrawal to the [[President of India|President]] on 20 March 2013. It was claimed as a mark of protest against his father [[Karunanidhi]]'s decision to pull out from the central ministry. Some sources claim he delayed his resignation as he was not kept in the loop while taking the decision and snubbed Baalu.<ref name="SL"/><ref>{{cite news|title=Srikant Jena Gets Alagiri's Chemicals-Fertilizers Portfolio|url=http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=793107|work=The Outlook|date=20 March 2013|location=New Delhi|accessdate=10 November 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301014930/http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=793107|archive-date=1 March 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Pullout snub miffs Alagiri|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130321/jsp/nation/story_16698584.jsp#.UobKHflJMxU|work=The Telegraph|location=Chennai, India|last=G.C.|first=Shekhar|date=20 March 2013|accessdate=10 November 2013}}</ref>

The fifth [[Joint parliamentary committee]] was constituted in February 2011 to probe [[2G case]]. It is headed by [[P. C. Chacko|P.C. Chacko]] and had 30 members, 15 each from the ruling UPA and opposition members belonging to BJP, JD (U), CPI, CPM, Trinamool Congress, BJD, DMK and the AIADMK in the 30-member panel accused P.C. Chacko of being "partisan" and demanded his removal (They submitted a memorandum to the Lok Sabha Speaker expressing their "no-confidence".<ref>{{cite news|title=2G scam: Govt sets up 30-member JPC
|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/2g-scam-govt-sets-up-30-member-jpc/1/130839.html|work=India Today|date=25 February 2013|location=New Delhi|accessdate=10 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=2G Scam: PC Chacko willing to consider amendments to JPC draft report|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/1827631/report-2g-scam-pc-chacko-willing-to-consider-amendments-to-jpc-draft-report|work=DNA India|date=27 April 2013|location=New Delhi|accessdate=10 November 2013}}</ref>) Three of the DMK MPs, namely, [[A. Raja]], the IT and Telecommunication minister, [[Kanimozhi]], the daughter of [[Karunanidhi]] and Rajya Sabha MP and [[Dayanidhi Maran]], the nephew and IT and Telecommunication minister preceding A. Raja, are the three accused in the scam. Baalu is the only member from the DMK in the committee and he, along with other opposition members, snubbed the report as "half boiled" as the draft report gave a clean chit to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram, while implicating the DMK minister A. Raja.<ref>{{cite news|title=Open to amending Joint Parliamentary Committee draft report on 2G scam if convinced, says Chacko|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/open-to-amending-jpc-draft-report-2g-scam-if-convinced-pc-chacko-india-today/1/267937.html|location=New Delhi|work=India Today|date=20 March 2013|accessdate=10 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=2G scam: DMK MP T R Baalu gives dissent note|url=http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/2g-scam-dmk-mp-t-r-baalu-dissent-note--29049.html|work=India TV News|date=9 October 2013|accessdate=10 November 2013}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist
| colwidth = 20em
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==External links==
* [http://loksabhaph.nic.in/Members/MemberBioprofile.aspx?mpsno=26 Official biographical sketch in Parliament of India website]
*{{Official|http://www.trbaalu.in}}
* {{cite book|title=Portraits of India's Parliamentarians for the New Millennium: Lok Sabha|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XnP1rW35OsEC&q=tr+baalu&pg=PA465|last=R.C.|first=Rajamani|year = 2000|ref=Gyan Books|isbn=9788121207027}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=}}
{{s-ttl|title=Leader of the [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] Party in the [[15th Lok Sabha]]|years=2009–2014}}
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{{s-end}}

{{Energy Ministries and Departments of India}}
{{Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (India)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baalu, T R}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam politicians]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:14th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:15th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:17th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:Indian amateur radio operators]]
[[Category:Union Ministers from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:11th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:12th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:13th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 2014 Indian general election]]
[[Category:Indians imprisoned during the Emergency (India)]]
[[Category:2G spectrum case]]
[[Category:Corruption in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:People from Tiruvarur district]]
[[Category:Politicians from Chennai]]
[[Category:Members of the Cabinet of India]]

T. R. Baalu - Revision history

AyushAmar: small corrected structure for accuracy and corrected details

->Chris the speller: replaced: Personal Life → personal life