Sabdharatnajyoti Saravanamuttu

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]

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]