Samuel James Chelvanayakam This is Me

Education

 Web References

1. 1. Teachers

   www.wesleycollege.org/DoubleBl - [Cached]

   Published on: 4/11/2007   Last Visited: 1/29/2008

   Samuel James Veluppillai Chelvanayakam departed this life on the 27th day of April 1977, two decades and seven years ago.
   
   He was born in Malaysia on 31st March 1898, one century and six years ago. He received his secondary education at the Union College, Tellippalai and later became a student at St. Thomas College, which was at that time situated at Modera. He was a contemporary of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike.
   
   At the age of nineteen, he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree. Soon after his graduation, he became a teacher at St. Thomas' College, which was by then shifted to Mount Lavinia. Later he moved to Wesley College and pursued his studies in law at Law College. He became an advocate in 1923 and the dignity of silk was conferred on him in 1947.
   
   In 1927, he married Emily Grace Barr Kumarakulassinghe. At his wedding day, he wore 'verti' and 'Salvai', the Tamil national dress in lieu of the Western attire, which was the prerequisite customary dress among the elite Tamils of the day. He was a Tamil nationalist to the core. Chelvanayakam once went to the classroom at Wesley College in Tamil national dress.
   
   The national dress was looked down, as it was then perceived by the Ceylonese elites as the dress of the 'rustic natives'. The Principal expressed dissatisfaction that promptly made Chelvanayakam to tender his resignation.
   ...
   Chelvanayakam became its Deputy Leader.
   
   Chelvanayakam, being a Tamil Congress candidate defeated the UNP candidate, S. Nadesan (Nadesapillai), son-in-law of Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan at Kankesanthurai Constituency in 1947.
   ...
   On the basis of 'responsive cooperation', Ponnambalam wanted to join the UNP Government while Chelvanayakam opposed his decision to join the government.
   ...
   Despite the vociferous opposition of Chelvanayakam, Vanniyasingam and Dr. Naganathan, Ponnambalam, joined the Government and became a Minister in September 1948 under the premiership of D. S. Senanayake.
   ...
   There was political tug-of-war between Ponnambalam and Chelvanayakam in making claim to the Tamil Congress and finally Chelvanayakam inaugurated the Federal Party on 18th December 1949.
   ...
   Chelvanayakam never changed his religious faith for the power of a seat in Parliament or to be a Leader of the Tamils, a community of which more than 85 percent were Hindus. Chelvanayakam was opposed in the General Elections of 1952 both by UNP and Tamil Congress candidates at the Kankesanthurai constituency.
   ...
   Navaratnam, who was described by Chelvanayakam as the 'brain box' of FP wanted Chelvanayakam to be photographed as accepting 'kalanchi' at Nallur Kanthasamy temple in order to send the message to the Hindu voters that Chelvanayakam was observing Hindu practices though being a christian. Chelvanayakam refused to be counselled to descend to pretensions of worship. He preferred to lose the elections rather than practising deception on the Hindu voters and embraced defeat by the UNP candidate, S. Nadesan.

2. 2. One Hundred Tamils - S.J.V.Chelvanayagam Q.C.

   www.tamilnation.org/hundredtam - [Cached]

   Published on: 11/15/2004   Last Visited: 12/30/2005

   Samuel James Veluppillai Chelvanayakam departed this life on the 27th day of April 1977, two decades and seven years ago.
   
   He was born in Malaysia on 31st March 1898, one century and six years ago. He received his secondary education at the Union College, Tellippalai and later became a student at St. Thomas College, which was at that time situated at Modera. He was a contemporary of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike.
   
   At the age of nineteen, he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree. Soon after his graduation, he became a teacher at St. Thomas' College, which was by then shifted to Mount Lavinia. Later he moved to Wesley College and pursued his studies in law at Law College. He became an advocate in 1923 and the dignity of silk was conferred on him in 1947.
   
   In 1927, he married Emily Grace Barr Kumarakulassinghe. At his wedding day, he wore 'verti' and 'Salvai', the Tamil national dress in lieu of the Western attire, which was the prerequisite customary dress among the elite Tamils of the day. He was a Tamil nationalist to the core. Chelvanayakam once went to the classroom at Wesley College in Tamil national dress.
   
   The national dress was looked down, as it was then perceived by the Ceylonese elites as the dress of the 'rustic natives'. The Principal expressed dissatisfaction that promptly made Chelvanayakam to tender his resignation.
   ...
   Chelvanayakam became its Deputy Leader.
   
   Chelvanayakam, being a Tamil Congress candidate defeated the UNP candidate, S. Nadesan (Nadesapillai), son-in-law of Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan at Kankesanthurai Constituency in 1947.
   ...
   On the basis of 'responsive cooperation', Ponnambalam wanted to join the UNP Government while Chelvanayakam opposed his decision to join the government.
   ...
   Despite the vociferous opposition of Chelvanayakam, Vanniyasingam and Dr. Naganathan, Ponnambalam, joined the Government and became a Minister in September 1948 under the premiership of D. S. Senanayake.
   ...
   There was political tug-of-war between Ponnambalam and Chelvanayakam in making claim to the Tamil Congress and finally Chelvanayakam inaugurated the Federal Party on 18th December 1949.
   ...
   Chelvanayakam never changed his religious faith for the power of a seat in Parliament or to be a Leader of the Tamils, a community of which more than 85 percent were Hindus. Chelvanayakam was opposed in the General Elections of 1952 both by UNP and Tamil Congress candidates at the Kankesanthurai constituency.
   ...
   Navaratnam, who was described by Chelvanayakam as the 'brain box' of FP wanted Chelvanayakam to be photographed as accepting 'kalanchi' at Nallur Kanthasamy temple in order to send the message to the Hindu voters that Chelvanayakam was observing Hindu practices though being a christian. Chelvanayakam refused to be counselled to descend to pretensions of worship. He preferred to lose the elections rather than practising deception on the Hindu voters and embraced defeat by the UNP candidate, S. Nadesan.
   ...
   In June 1956 when the Sinhala Only Act was brought in Parliament, the Federal Party, headed by Chelvanayakam staged protest by way of non-violent civil disobedience at the Galle Face Green as practised by Gandhi.
   ...
   The failure to implement the Acts made Chelvanayakam to entertain an idea that they should become members of the government in order to minimise the grievances of the Tamils.
   ...
   The Prime Minister dissolved the committee and forced Chelvanayakam to leave the Government.
   
   Though Chelvanayakam was agitating for a federal unit for the Tamils in the Northern and Eastern Provinces under a federal form of government, he was only striving to attain some autonomy for the Tamils within the framework of 'a quasi-nationalism'.
   
   He descended from federal unit to Regional Councils and District Councils. He demonstrated his willingness to compromise by accepting special provisions for the use of Tamil Language instead of parity of status.
   
   His dedication to the cause of the Tamils was supreme and unshakable. He believed sincerely that he could find satisfactory reasonable solutions from the Sinhala leadership through parliamentary devices. Chelvanayakam honestly hoped that he would be able to convince the Sinhala leaders that a federal form of government was the answer to the problems that faced Sri Lanka and the Sinhalese would accept at least a kind of federalism in the interest of preserving the territorial integrity of the country.
   
   He wanted to build a united Sri Lanka out of her diversity. Moses, a biblical personality had great impact on him and Chelvanayakam too felt that he had to lead the Tamils to the promised land of federalism to which he was so incessantly dedicated.
   
   Rights of Tamils
   
   The actions of the successive governments in enforcing draconian measures depriving the Tamils of their due and legitimate rights and periodic Pogroms devastated the Tamils. All the democratic non-violence agitations and parliamentary devices promoted and practised by Chelvanayakam failed to secure the rights of the Tamils as the South never yielded to any kind of political accommodation.
   
   The non-violent agitations were rendered irrelevant and unworthy of emulation. It was a sad state of political governance of the majority Sinhalese leaders that they refused to come to terms with Chelvanayakam who espoused non-violence, democratic principles and demonstrated willingness to settle problems of the Tamils for something far short of his original demands.

3. 3. Teachers

   www.wesleycollege.org/DoubleBl - [Cached]

   Published on: 4/11/2007   Last Visited: 11/29/2007

   Samuel James Veluppillai Chelvanayakam departed this life on the 27th day of April 1977, two decades and seven years ago.
   
   He was born in Malaysia on 31st March 1898, one century and six years ago. He received his secondary education at the Union College, Tellippalai and later became a student at St. Thomas College, which was at that time situated at Modera. He was a contemporary of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike.
   
   At the age of nineteen, he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree. Soon after his graduation, he became a teacher at St. Thomas' College, which was by then shifted to Mount Lavinia. Later he moved to Wesley College and pursued his studies in law at Law College. He became an advocate in 1923 and the dignity of silk was conferred on him in 1947.
   
   In 1927, he married Emily Grace Barr Kumarakulassinghe. At his wedding day, he wore 'verti' and 'Salvai', the Tamil national dress in lieu of the Western attire, which was the prerequisite customary dress among the elite Tamils of the day. He was a Tamil nationalist to the core. Chelvanayakam once went to the classroom at Wesley College in Tamil national dress.
   
   The national dress was looked down, as it was then perceived by the Ceylonese elites as the dress of the 'rustic natives'. The Principal expressed dissatisfaction that promptly made Chelvanayakam to tender his resignation.
   ...
   Chelvanayakam became its Deputy Leader.
   
   Chelvanayakam, being a Tamil Congress candidate defeated the UNP candidate, S. Nadesan (Nadesapillai), son-in-law of Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan at Kankesanthurai Constituency in 1947.
   ...
   On the basis of 'responsive cooperation', Ponnambalam wanted to join the UNP Government while Chelvanayakam opposed his decision to join the government.
   ...
   Despite the vociferous opposition of Chelvanayakam, Vanniyasingam and Dr. Naganathan, Ponnambalam, joined the Government and became a Minister in September 1948 under the premiership of D. S. Senanayake.
   ...
   There was political tug-of-war between Ponnambalam and Chelvanayakam in making claim to the Tamil Congress and finally Chelvanayakam inaugurated the Federal Party on 18th December 1949.
   ...
   Chelvanayakam never changed his religious faith for the power of a seat in Parliament or to be a Leader of the Tamils, a community of which more than 85 percent were Hindus. Chelvanayakam was opposed in the General Elections of 1952 both by UNP and Tamil Congress candidates at the Kankesanthurai constituency.
   ...
   Navaratnam, who was described by Chelvanayakam as the 'brain box' of FP wanted Chelvanayakam to be photographed as accepting 'kalanchi' at Nallur Kanthasamy temple in order to send the message to the Hindu voters that Chelvanayakam was observing Hindu practices though being a christian. Chelvanayakam refused to be counselled to descend to pretensions of worship. He preferred to lose the elections rather than practising deception on the Hindu voters and embraced defeat by the UNP candidate, S. Nadesan.