Lieutenant Colonel Sabdharatnajyoti "Thambirajah" Saravanamuttu, MBE (1898 – 17 July 1957; also known as S. Sara) was a Ceylon Tamil lawyer, politician, military officer, cricketer and sports administrator.
Sabdharatnajyoti Saravanamuttu | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member of Colombo Municipal Council | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1937–1946 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1898 Colombo, Ceylon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 17 July 1957 Colombo, Ceylon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | St Catharine's College, Cambridge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Profession | Lawyer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ethnicity | Ceylon Tamil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cricket information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium-fast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1912–1918 | S. Thomas' College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1919–1920 | Ceylonese | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1923 | Cambridge University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1923 | Cambridgeshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1924 | Indian Gymkhana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1926–1938 | Ceylon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1933–1934 | Galle Cricket Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1936–1937 | Ceylon Cricket Association | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1947–1948 | MP Engineer's XI | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life and family edit
Saravanamuttu was born in 1898 in Colombo, Ceylon.[1] He was the son of Vetharniam Saravanamuttu, a physician from Colombo.[2] His mother's family were from Vaddukoddai in northern Ceylon.[3] His paternal grandfather Vetharniam is reputed to be the founder of Chunnakam, a small town in northern Ceylon.[4] Saravanamuttu had five eminent brothers: Ratnasothy, Nanasothy, Tharmasothy, Paikiasothy and Manicasothy.[2] He was educated at S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia where he was captain of the cricket team (1916–18) and scored the fastest century in Ceylon.[3][4][5] He was also head prefect and boxing champion at S. Thomas.[4] He then joined St Catharine's College, Cambridge to study engineering.[3][4] He played cricket at Cambridge between 1921 and 1923 but failed to win a blue for Cambridge University Cricket Club.[4][5]
Career edit
Saravanamuttu was a member of Colombo Municipal Council from May 1937 to December 1946.[6] Saravanamuttu served in the Ceylon Defense Force during World War II, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel.[4] He was in command of one of the two Ceylon Light Infantry battalions deployed along the eastern coast of Ceylon to protect against Japanese invasion.[7] After the war he qualified as a lawyer and practised law.[4]
Saravanamuttu was captain of the Ceylon national cricket team twice and of Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club in 1934 and from 1936 to 1941.[5][8] He played in the European-Ceylonese Test series and for Ceylon against Australia, New Zealand and Marylebone Cricket Club.[5] He was president of the Board of Control for Cricket in Ceylon.[4][5]
Saravanamuttu was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1953 Coronation Honours.[4][5] He died on 17 July 1957 in Colombo aged 59.[1][5]
References edit
- ^ a b "Sabdharatnajyoti Saravanamuttu". CricketArchive.
- ^ a b Arumugam, S. (1997). Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon. p. 180.
- ^ a b c "He gave of his best, but died a disillusioned man". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 28 May 2000.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Billimoria, Marc (13 August 2004). "The Saravanamuttu Prize at S. Thomas' College". Daily News (Sri Lanka).
- ^ a b c d e f g "Obituaries in 1957". ESPNcricinfo/Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. 4 December 2005.
- ^ Hulugalle, H. A. J. (September 1965). Centenary Volume of the Colombo Municipal Council (1865 - 1965). Colombo Municipal Council . p. 61.
- ^ Tissainayagam, Romesh. "Japanese demonstrate cult of suicide bombing in Trincomalee". Tamil Canadian/Northeastern Monthly.
- ^ "Cricket Captains". Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club.