Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu
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Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu CCS |
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| Native name | பாக்கியசோதி சரவணமுத்து |
| Born | 26 October 1892 |
| Died | 28 May 1950 (aged 57) |
| Alma mater | University of London |
| Occupation | Civil servant |
Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu (Tamil: பாக்கியசோதி சரவணமுத்து; 26 October 1892 – 28 May 1950; also known as P. Sara) was a Ceylonese civil servant and sports administrator.
Saravanamuttu was born on 26 October 1892. He was the son of Vetharniam Saravanamuttu, a physician from Colombo in Ceylon. His mother's family were from Vaddukoddai in northern Ceylon. His paternal grandfather Vetharniam is reputed to be the founder of Chunnakam, a small town in northern Ceylon. Saravanamuttu had five brothers: Ratnasothy, Nanasothy, Tharmasothy, Manicasothy and Saptaranajyoti. He was educated at S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia where he won many prizes including the Victoria Gold Medal. He was also a member of the school's athletics, cricket and football teams. After school he received a BA degree from the University of London. Saravanamuttu taught at Royal College, Colombo for a brief period. He then joined Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge in 1915 in preparation for entering the Indian Civil Service but family circumstances forced him to leave before finishing his course.
Saravanamuttu married Sybil Thangam, daughter of Muttusumaru, a crown proctor from Puttalam. They had two sons (Baski and Chandri) and a daughter (Sakuntala). Baski's son, also called Paikiasothy, is the head of the Centre for Policy Alternatives.
After returning to Ceylon Saravanamuttu joined the Ceylon Civil Service in 1919 as a cadet, initially working at Colombo Kachcheri. Serving in various locations, he rose up the rank of the civil service. He was Assistant Government Agent for Mullaitivu District (1926) and Hambantota District. He later served as a judicial officer in Badulla, Kalutara, Kegalle and Kurunegala He joined the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands in 1946 and was appointed commissioner of the Tea Control and Rubber Control departments. He spent millions of public money in these roles and was believed to the highest paid civil servant in the country. He was offered the Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George honour in the 1946 New Year Honours list for his services during the war but he declined.
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