Gate Mudaliyar Naganather Canaganayagam, CBE, JP, FREconS (27 May 1892 - 1 January 1967) was a Ceylonese banker, planter and local politician, who served as the first

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

Mayor of Kandy in 1942. Suriyakumara Nichinga Senathiraja Ambalavaner Naganather Thandigai Canaganayagam was born on 27 May 1892 in Kopay, Jaffna, the son of Atikar

Ambalavaner Naganather Atikar Suriyacumara Nitchinga Senathiraja Ambalavaner Naganather, CBE, JP, UM (1850-1953) was a prominent Ceylonese colonial-era banker and rubber plantation owner. Born in Jaffna, Ambalavaner Naganather joined the Oriental Banking Corporat ...

CBE JP, UM (1850-1953), a banker and rubber plantation owner, and Sethuppillai Ampalavanar. Canaganayagam attended

Saint Joseph's College, Colombo , motto_translation = In Knowledge and Virtue , location = T. B. Jayah Mawatha, Colombo 10 , country = Sri Lanka , coordinates = , caption = School Facade , pushpin_m ...

, where he won prizes for Latin, French and Physics. He then attended the Ceylon Medical School leaving in his second year to become a banker. In 1912 he was appointed the head

shroff Shroff is a surname. The word is derived from the Hindustani word ''saraf'' (bullion merchant , Baniya), which in turn, is ultimately derived from the Arabic ''ṣarrāf''. The word is also used to mean a cashier, especially in a car park or iden ...

of the

National Bank of India National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

in Nuwara Eliya, succeeding his father. Canaganayayagam passed the associate examination of the

Institute of Bankers The London Institute of Banking & Finance is the oldest training and professional body for banking and financial services in England and Wales, and works internationally with partners to establish ethical and professional standards across the ...

in 1925, and was made a Fellow of the Royal Economic Society. Later that year he was transferred to the bank's branch in Kandy, where he remained until he retired. In 1939 he was elected to the first Kandy Municipal Council, representing Ward #9 (Wevelpitiya), remaining on the council until 1945. He served as both as the deputy mayor in 1941 and the mayor in 1942, becoming the first Tamil mayor of the council. He was an actively involved in a number of local religious and social organisations in Kandy. Canaganayagam was awarded the titular honor of Gate Mudliyar by the British Government of Ceylon, and appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the

1951 New Year Honours The 1951 New Years Honours were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1951 for the Brit ...

. In the 1955 Queen's Birthday Honours Canaganayagam was made a Commander of the British Empire for his public services. He was a member of the Planters' Association, Low Country Planters' Association and the Kandy National Museum Advisory Committee. He died on 1 January 1967 at the age of 74. In May 1992 he was commemorated as a National Hero through the issue of a Rs. 100 postage stamp with his portrait. The University of Peradeniya's Department of Economics and Statistics issues an annual prize in economics in his name.

External links

Kandy Municipal Council

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canaganayagam, Naganather 1892 births 1967 deaths Alumni of Saint Joseph's College, Colombo Ceylonese Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Royal Economic Society Gate Mudaliyars Mayors of Kandy People from Jaffna District People from British Ceylon Sri Lankan Tamil bankers Sri Lankan Tamil businesspeople Sri Lankan Tamil politicians