Murugeysen Rajendra (4 July 1911 – 10 March 1991) was a leading Ceylonese civil servant.
M. Rajendra | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 4 July 1911 |
| Died | 10 March 1991 (aged 79) |
| Alma mater | Ceylon University College |
| Occupation | Civil servant |
| Title | Treasury Secretary |
| Term | 15 November 1968 – 6 May 1971 |
| Predecessor | H. J. Samarakkody |
| Successor | C. A. Coorey |
Early life
editRajendra was born on 4 July 1911 in British Malaya.[1][2] He was the son of Visvanathan Murugeysen, who hailed from Vaddukoddai in northern Ceylon, an officer in the British colonial administration, and head of the telegraph office in Kuala Lumpur.[1][2] Rajendra had his early education at the Victoria Institution before being sent to Ceylon along with his brother Tiruchelvam to study at S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia.[1][2] The brothers were placed under the guardianship of S. J. V. Chelvanayakam.[3] At St. Thomas, he was a close friend of Dudley Senanayake, later Prime Minister.[2] After school Rajendra joined the Ceylon University College, graduating in 1933 with a BA honours degree in history.[1][2][4]
Rajendra married Neela, a daughter of G. Wignarajah.[1][2] They had two sons (Jayantha and Ajita) and a daughter (Malathy).[1][2]
Career
editRajendra joined the Ceylon Civil Service as a cadet on 12 December 1934.[1][2] He was Assistant Government Agent in Matara, Hambantota, Chilaw, Kandy, and Nuwara Eliya before becoming Government Agent of Eastern Province (1 August 1949 to 6 March 1950) and Government Agent of North Central Province in 1951.[1][2][5] He was Lands and Land Development Commissioner from 1954 to 1959.[1][2] He was later permanent secretary at the Ministry of Post, Broadcasting and Information, and Ministry of Nationalised Services.[1] He was Treasury Secretary and Head of the Public Service from 1968 to 1971.[1][2][6]
Later life
editAfter retirement Rajendra was chairman of the Freedom from Hunger Foundation and a member of the Monetary Board (1971–77).[1][2] He died on 10 March 1991.[1][2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Arumugam, S. (1997). Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon. p. 156.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "His sheer personality dominated any situation". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 10 July 2011.
- ^ Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (24 November 2007). "Murugeysen Tiruchelvam: Strategist-Statesman of the Federal Party". transcurrents.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Ceylon University College Prospectus 1936-37. Ceylon University College. 1936. p. 60.
- ^ "List of Former Government Agent". Batticaloa District Secretariat.
- ^ "Secretaries to the Treasury". Ministry of Finance (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on 2015-01-28.