Mylvakanam Srikantha,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(17 September 1913 – 4 February 1982) was a leading

Ceylon Tamil Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, form the plurality in the Eastern Province an ...

civil servant.

Early life and family

Srikantha was the son of Mylvakanam, a school master from

Alaveddy Alaveddy (; ) is an area of South-West Valigamam (Valikamam) Division, Jaffna District, Sri Lanka. It consists of five village tracts: Alaveddy North, Alaveddy Centre, Alaveddy East, Alaveddy South and Alaveddy West. Nearby villages are Uduvil, C ...

in northern

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. He was educated at

Jaffna Hindu College Jaffna Hindu College (; ; abbreviated as JHC) is a National school (Sri Lanka), national school in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1887 by a group of Hinduism in Sri Lanka, Hindu people who wanted an English language alternative to the Christi ...

. Srikantha married Maheswari, daughter of Kasturiar K. Muttucumaru. They had two sons (Yogalingam and Janakan) and a daughter (Malini).

Career

Srikantha joined the

Ceylon Civil Service The Ceylon Civil Service, popularly known by its acronym CCS, was the premier civil service of the Government of Ceylon under British colonial rule and in the immediate post-independence period. Established in 1833, it functioned as part of th ...

in 1937. He held several positions and served in a number of places. He was Assistant Government Agent in

Puttalam Puttalam (; ) is the largest town in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. Puttalam is the administrative capital of the Puttalam District and governed by a municipal council. Climate Under the ...

(1948); Government Agent of Northern Province (1954); and Government Agent of Jaffna District (1955–61). Srikantha was made a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the

1953 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1953 for the United Kingdom were announced on 30 December 1952, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1953. This was the first New Year Honours since the accession of Queen Elizabeth II. The ''Honours list'' ...

. He was made an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the

1955 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1955 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...

. Srikantha was then

Permanent Secretary A permanent secretary is the most senior Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant of a department or Ministry (government department), ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day activities. Permanent secretaries are ...

at the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands and the Ministry of Irrigation and Power. He retired in 1969.

Death

Srikantha died on 4 February 1982.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Srikantha, M. 1913 births 1982 deaths Alumni of Jaffna Hindu College Ceylonese Officers of the Order of the British Empire Government Agents (Sri Lanka) People from Northern Province, Sri Lanka People from British Ceylon Permanent secretaries of Sri Lanka Sri Lankan Tamil people