Ratnasothy Saravanamuttu
{{Short description|Ceylon Tamil physician and politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = Sir
|name = Ratnasothy Saravanamuttu
|native_name = இரத்தினசோதி சரவணமுத்து
|native_name_lang = ta
|image = Ratnasothy Saravanamuttu.jpg
|imagesize =
|office1 = Member of the State Council of Ceylon
for Colombo North
|term_start1 = 1931
|term_end1 = 1931
|predecessor1 =
|successor1 = Naysum Saravanamuttu
|order2 = 1st
|office2 = Mayor of Colombo
|term_start2 = May 1937
|term_end2 = December 1937
|predecessor2 =
|successor2 = V. R. Schockman
|term_start3 = January 1941
|term_end3 = December 1942
|predecessor3 = A. E. Goonesinghe
|successor3 = George R. de Silvs
|office4 = Member of Colombo Municipal Council
|term_start4 = 1937
|term_end4 = 1946
|predecessor4 =
|successor4 =
|birth_date = October 1886
|birth_place =
|death_date =
|death_place =
|citizenship =
|spouse = Naysum Saravanamuttu
|children = 4
|alma_mater = University of Madras
|profession = Physician, politician
|blank1 = Ethnicity
|data1 = Ceylon Tamil
}}
Sir Ratnasothy Saravanamuttu ({{langx|ta|இரத்தினசோதி சரவணமுத்து}}; born October 1886) was a Ceylon Tamil physician, politician and the first Mayor of Colombo.
Early life and family
Saravanamuttu was born in October 1886.{{cite news|last1=Maniccavasagar|first1=Chelvatamby|title=Colombo Municipal Council's 147th anniversary|url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2012/02/24/fea04.asp|work=Daily News (Sri Lanka)|date=24 February 2012}} He was the son of Vetharniam Saravanamuttu, a physician from Colombo in Ceylon.{{cite book|last=Arumugam|first=S.|title=Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon|url=http://www.noolaham.org/wiki/index.php?title=Dictionary_of_Biography_of_the_Tamils_of_Ceylon|year=1997|pages=181–182|authorlink=S. Arumugam}} His mother's family were from Vaddukoddai in northern Ceylon.{{cite news|title=He gave of his best, but died a disillusioned man|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/000528/plus10.html|work=The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)|date=28 May 2000}} His paternal grandfather Vetharniam is reputed to be the founder of Chunnakam, a small town in northern Ceylon.{{cite news|last1=Billimoria|first1=Marc|title=The Saravanamuttu Prize at S. Thomas' College|url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2004/08/13/spo10.html|work=Daily News (Sri Lanka)|date=13 August 2004}} Saravanamuttu had five eminent brothers: Nanasothy, Tharmasothy, Paikiasothy, Manicasothy and Saptaranajyoti. He was educated at S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia where he won many prizes. He earned a Bachelor of Medicine, Master of Surgery degree (M.B.C.M.) from the University of Madras. He then went to England where he obtained M.R.C.S. and Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians (L.R.C.P.) qualifications.
Saravanamuttu married Naysum. They had two daughters (Seetha and Chandra) and two sons (Vetharaniam and Ratnakumar).{{cn|date=December 2022}}
Career
After returning to Ceylon Saravanamuttu established a dispensary in northern Colombo which soon grew to become a large medical centre.
Saravanamuttu was a member of Colombo Municipal Council from May 1937 to December 1946.{{cite book|last1=Hulugalle|first1=H. A. J.|title=Centenary Volume of the Colombo Municipal Council (1865 - 1965)|date=September 1965|publisher=Colombo Municipal Council |page=60|url=http://www.noolaham.org/wiki/index.php/Centenary_Volume_of_the_Colombo_Municipal_Council_%281865_-_1965%29?uselang=en}} He served as Mayor of Colombo from May 1937 to December 1937 and from January 1941 to December 1942.{{cite book|last1=Hulugalle|first1=H. A. J.|title=Centenary Volume of the Colombo Municipal Council (1865 - 1965)|date=September 1965|publisher=Colombo Municipal Council |page=54|url=http://www.noolaham.org/wiki/index.php/Centenary_Volume_of_the_Colombo_Municipal_Council_%281865_-_1965%29?uselang=en}}
He contested the 1931 State Council election as a candidate in Colombo North and was elected to the State Council.{{cite book|last1=Dissanayake|first1=T. D. S. A.|authorlink1=T. D. S. A. Dissanayake|title=War or Peace in Sri Lanka|date=2002|url=http://www.sangam.org/ANALYSIS/DissanayakaChap1.htm|chapter=Chapter 1: Was early universal franchise a disaster?}} However, he was unseated after being found guilty of corrupt practices by an election Judge.[http://www.lawnet.lk/docs/case_law/nlr/common/html/NLR34V369.htm LATEEF v. SARAVANAMUTTU.] His wife, Naysum, was elected in the ensuing by-election, becoming the second female member of the State Council in 1931.[http://www.undp.org/content/dam/srilanka/docs/governance/WPE%20FINAL%20PDF.pdf The Struggle for Equal Political Representation of Women in Sri Lanka]
He was a member of the Liberal League before founding the Independent Labour Party which was later absorbed by the Ceylon National Congress.{{cite news|last1=Nissanka|first1=Kamal|title=Liberal Party celebrates Silver Jubilee|url=https://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2012/01/29/fea03.asp|work=Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka)|date=29 January 2012}} He played a major role in the relief following the Japanese bombing of Colombo in April 1942.
Saravanamuttu received a knighthood as a Knight Bachelor for public services in the 1943 New Year Honours.{{cite journal|title=Second Supplement|journal=The London Gazette|date=29 December 1942|url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35841/page/2|page=2}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saravanamuttu, Ratnasothy}}
Category:Alumni of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia
Category:Ceylonese Knights Bachelor
Category:Members of the 1st State Council of Ceylon
Category:People from British Ceylon
Category:Sri Lankan Tamil people
Category:Sri Lankan medical doctors