Cathiravelu Sittampalam ( ta, கதிரவேலு சிற்றம்பலம்; 13 September 1898 – 3 February 1964) was a
Ceylon Tamil
Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, live in significant numbers in the Eastern Pr ...
civil servant, politician,
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
and government minister.
Early life and family
Sittampalam was born on 13 September 1898.
He was the son of A. Cathiravelu, a proctor and member of the Jaffna Local Board.
[ He was educated at ]Jaffna Central College
Jaffna Central College ( ta, யாழ்ப்பாணம் மத்திய கல்லூரி ''Yāḻppāṇam Mattiya Kallūri'', JCC) is a national school in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Founded in 1816 by British Methodist missionaries, it ...
and Royal College, Colombo.[ He won many prizes at Royal College including the English Essay Prize, the De Zoysa Science Prize and the Mathematics Prize.][ Aged 15 he passed the ]Senior Cambridge
The Senior Cambridge examinations were General Certificate of Education examinations held in India, Jamaica, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Singapore. They were preceded by the Junior Cambridge and Preliminary Cambridge examinations.
History India
The ...
with first class honours and distinction in mathematics.[ After school Sittampalam joined St. Peter's College, Cambridge on a science scholarship and graduated with a degree in mathematics.][
Sittampalam was a member of a distinguished family. His brother C. Ponnambalam and brother-in-law C. Casipillai were ]Mayors of Jaffna
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...
.[ His uncle A. Canagaratnam was a member of the Legislative Council. His great-uncle V. Casipillai was a crown proctor and one of the founders of ]Jaffna Hindu College
Jaffna Hindu College ( ta, யாழ்ப்பாணம் இந்துக் கல்லூரி, translit=Yāḻppāṇam Intuk Kallūri; si, යාපනය හින්දු විද්යාලය, translit=Yāpanaya Hindu Vidyāl ...
.[
Sittampalam married Kamalambikai.][ They had four daughters (Devalakshmi, Pushpalakshmi, Yogalakshmi, and Mallikalakshmi) and one son ( Arjuna).][
]
Career
Sittampalam was called to the Bar from Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn ...
.[ He joined the civil service in 1923 and served in various positions including Assistant Government Agent and District Judge.][ He later left the civil service and practised as an advocate.][
Sittampalam stood as an ]independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
candidate in Mannar at the 1947 parliamentary election. He won the election and entered Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
. He was persuaded to join the United National Party
The United National Party, often abbreviated as UNP ( si, එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය, translit=Eksath Jāthika Pakshaya, ta, ஐக்கிய தேசியக் கட்சி, translit=Aikkiya Tēciyak Kaṭci), ...
led government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
and on 26 September 1947 he was sworn in as Minister of Posts and Telecommunication. He was made Minister of Industries, Industrial Research and Fisheries after George E. de Silva was unseated by an election petition.[
Sittampalam was re-elected at the May 1952 parliamentary election but lost his cabinet position. He was defeated at the 1956 parliamentary election by the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (Federal Party) candidate V. A. Alegacone.]
Sittampalam died on 3 February 1964.[ In February 2004 Sri Lanka Post issued a commemorative stamp of Sittampalam.][
]
See also
* List of political families in Sri Lanka
This is a partial listing of prominent political families in Sri Lanka.
Abdul Majeed
*A. L. Abdul Majeed (15 November 1933 – 13 November 1987) also known as Mutur Majeed, former Deputy Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Member Parl ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sittampalam, C.
1898 births
1964 deaths
Alumni of Jaffna Central College
Alumni of Peterhouse, Cambridge
Alumni of Royal College, Colombo
Ceylonese advocates
Fisheries ministers of Sri Lanka
Industries ministers of Sri Lanka
Members of the 1st Parliament of Ceylon
Members of the 2nd Parliament of Ceylon
Members of the Middle Temple
People from Northern Province, Sri Lanka
People from British Ceylon
Posts ministers of Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan Tamil people
Sri Lankan civil servants
Sri Lankan Tamil lawyers
Tamil politicians
Telecommunication ministers of Sri Lanka