Andrew Sabapathipillai Dharmaretnam (died 1952) was a Ceylon Tamil politician and member of the State Council of Ceylon.
S. Dharmaretnam | |
|---|---|
| Member of the State Council of Ceylon | |
| In office 1938–1943 | |
| Preceded by | S. O. Canagaratnam |
| Constituency | Batticaloa South |
| Personal details | |
| Died | 1952 Colombo, Ceylon |
| Ethnicity | Ceylon Tamil |
Dharmaretnam had been a Vanniyar since the age of 17.[1] He and his brother Rajaratnam owned large pieces of land in the old Batticaloa District, from Verugal to Pottuvil.[2] Dharmaretnam's son Puvirajakeerthi (known as Keerthy or Dharmakeerthy) was one of the first Batticaloa Tamils to attend the University of Cambridge.[2] Dharmaretnam was the paternal grandfather of Taraki Sivaram, a journalist murdered during the Sri Lankan Civil War.[2][3]
Dharmaretnam was elected to the State Council of Ceylon in September 1938 following the death of S. O. Canagaratnam.[2][4][5] He represented the Batticaloa South constituency until November 1943 when he resigned due to ill-health.[2][6]
Dharmaretnam was in an abusive relationship with his wife Alagamma and was known to have had extra-marital affairs.[1] After slitting his wrist Dharmaretnam went to into the jungle to die.[1] He didn't die and was found a few days later in a jungle clearing, delirious, his physical and mental health irrecoverably damaged.[1] Sick and dependent on others, he died seven years later in 1952 at a Colombo hospital.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Whitaker, Mark P. (2007). Learning Politics From Sivaram: The Life and Death of a Revolutionary Tamil Journalist in Sri Lanka. London, U.K.: Pluto Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-7453-2353-4.
- ^ a b c d e Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (24 April 2015). ""Taraki" Sivaram: From Gun Toting Militant to Pen Wielding Journalist". The Daily Mirror. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
- ^ Sivasubramaniam, V. (2008). "The Origin of Sivaram, a great human [Maamanithar]". Ilankai Tamil Sangam. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
- ^ Whitaker, Mark P. (2007). Learning Politics From Sivaram: The Life and Death of a Revolutionary Tamil Journalist in Sri Lanka. London, U.K.: Pluto Press. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-7453-2353-4.
- ^ Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 8: Pan Sinhalese board of ministers - A Sinhalese ploy". Sri Lanka: The Untold Story.
- ^ Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (8 May 2005). "From gun to pen: The story of Sivaram". The Sunday Leader. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 2 March 2019.