Sabdharatnajyoti Saravanamuttu Explained

Honorific-Prefix:Lt Col
Sabdharatnajyoti Saravanamuttu
Office1:Member of Colombo Municipal Council
Term Start1:1937
Term End1:1946
Birth Date:1898
Birth Place:Colombo, Ceylon
Death Place:Colombo, Ceylon
Alma Mater:St Catharine's College, Cambridge
Profession:Lawyer
Footnotes:
Sabdharatnajyoti Saravanamuttu
Child:yes
Country:Ceylon
Batting:Right-handed
Bowling:Right-arm medium-fast
Club1:S. Thomas' College
Year1:1912–1918
Club2:Ceylonese
Year2:1919–1920
Club3:Cambridge University
Year3:1923
Club4:Cambridgeshire
Year4:1923
Club5:Indian Gymkhana
Year5:1924
Club6:Ceylon
Club7:Galle Cricket Club
Year7:1933–1934
Club8:Ceylon Cricket Association
Year8:1936–1937
Club9:MP Engineer's XI
Year9:1947–1948
Columns:1
Column1:First-class
Matches1:6
Runs1:148
Bat Avg1:16.44
100S/50S1:0/2
Top Score1:63
Deliveries1:120
Wickets1:2
Bowl Avg1:38.00
Fivefor1:0
Tenfor1:0
Best Bowling1:2/26
Catches/Stumpings1:2/0
Source:https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/26/26414/26414.html CricketArchive
Blank1:Ethnicity
Data1:Ceylon Tamil

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.

Early life and family

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

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]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sabdharatnajyoti Saravanamuttu. CricketArchive.
  2. Book: Arumugam, S.. S. Arumugam

    . Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon. 1997. 180. S. Arumugam.

  3. News: He gave of his best, but died a disillusioned man. The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka). 28 May 2000.
  4. News: Billimoria. Marc. The Saravanamuttu Prize at S. Thomas' College. Daily News (Sri Lanka). 13 August 2004.
  5. Web site: Obituaries in 1957. 4 December 2005. ESPNcricinfo/Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.
  6. Book: Hulugalle. H. A. J.. Centenary Volume of the Colombo Municipal Council (1865 - 1965). September 1965. Colombo Municipal Council . 61.
  7. Web site: Tissainayagam. Romesh. Japanese demonstrate cult of suicide bombing in Trincomalee. Tamil Canadian/Northeastern Monthly.
  8. Web site: Cricket Captains. Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club.