K. P. Ratnam | |
|---|---|
கா. பொ. இரத்தினம் | |
 | |
| Member of theCeylonese Parliament forKilinochchi | |
| In office 1965–1970 | |
| Preceded by | A. Sivasunderam |
| Succeeded by | V. Anandasangaree |
| Member of theCeylonese Parliament forKayts | |
| In office 1970–1983 | |
| Preceded by | V. Navaratnam |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1914-03-10)10 March 1914 |
| Died | 20 December 2010(2010-12-20) (aged 96) |
| Political party | Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi |
| Other political affiliations | Tamil United Liberation Front |
| Alma mater | University of London University of Madras |
| Profession | Academic |
Kaarthigesar Ponnambalam Ratnam (Tamil:கார்த்திகேசு பொன்னம்பலம் இரத்தினம்; 10 March 1914 – 20 December 2010) was aSri Lankan Tamil academic, politician andMember of Parliament.
Ratnam was born on 10 March 1914 inVelanai on the island ofKayts in northernCeylon.[1][2] He was educated at Velanai Anglo-Vernacular School andUnion College, Tellippalai.[3] He excelled inTamil language andTamil literature at school.[1] He became apundit in 1933 andvidvan in 1942.[1]
Ratnam was awardedBA (Hons) degree from theUniversity of London in 1945.[1][4] He later received a Bachelor of Oriental Languages degree andMA (1952) degree from theUniversity of Madras in India.[1][4]
Ratnam married Sinthamany, daughter of P. Vaitilingam.[1] They had a son - S. Nimalan.[1]
Ratnam joined the teaching profession and served as headmaster of the Moolai Senior Secondary School between 1934 and 1940.[3] He became assistant master at Kopay Teacher Training College in 1941.[1] In 1942 he was appointed Inspector of Schools.[3] Between 1943 and 1956 he was a lecturer in Tamil at Maharagama Training College.[3] Later he spent eight years as a research officer in the Official Languages Department inColombo.[1][4] He was a visiting lecturer at Navalar Hall, Colombo from 1958 to 1963.[3] He then joined theUniversity of Malaya in 1964 as lecturer in Indian Studies.[1]
After retirement Ratnam entered politics.[1] He stood as the candidate ofIllankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), commonly known as Federal Party, inKilinochchi at the1965 parliamentary election. He won the election and enteredParliament.[5] He stood as ITAK's candidate inKayts at the1970 parliamentary election. He won the election and re-entered Parliament.[6]
On 14 May 1972 the ITAK,All Ceylon Tamil Congress,Ceylon Workers' Congress, Eelath Thamilar Otrumai Munnani and All Ceylon Tamil Conference formed theTamil United Front, later renamedTamil United Liberation Front (TULF).[7][8][9][10] On 21 May 1976 Ratnam was delivering leaflets along with other leading Tamil politicians (A. Amirthalingam,V. N. Navaratnam,M. Sivasithamparam andK. Thurairatnam) when they were all arrested on government orders.[11][12] Sivasithamparam was released but the others were taken to Colombo and tried forsedition.[11] All the defendants were acquitted on 10 February 1977 after a famoustrial at bar case in which around 70 leading Tamil lawyers, including S. J. V. Chelvanayakam andG. G. Ponnambalam, represented the defence.[13][14]
Ratnam was the TULF's candidate in Kayts at the1977 parliamentary election and was re-elected.[15] Ratnam and all other TULF MPs boycotted Parliament from the middle of 1983 for a number of reasons: they were under pressure fromSri Lankan Tamil militants not to stay in Parliament beyond their normal six-year term; the Sixth Amendment to theConstitution of Sri Lanka required them to swear an oath unconditionally renouncing support for aseparate state; and theBlack July riots in which up to 3,000 Tamils were killed bySinhalese mobs. After three months of absence, Ratnam forfeited his seat in Parliament on 22 October 1983.[16]
Ratnam was president of Colombo Tamil Sangam (1958–61), Ulaka Tamil Marai Kallakam and editor of theTamil World (1965).[1][3] He was also a vice-president of the TULF.[1] He represented the All Ceylon Tamil Writers’ Association at the Asian Writers’ Conference held in 1957 in New Delhi; attended the 25th International Congress of Orientalists held in Moscow in 1960; and the 26th Congress of Orientalists held in New Delhi in 1964.[3] He has written more than 12 books and contributed numerous articles on literary and cultural topics.[3]
Ratnam moved toIndia in 1985.[4] He returned toSri Lanka in 2003 and lived with his children inWellawatte,Colombo.[4] He died on 20 December 2010 at his home in Colombo.[4][17]
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