S. Arasaratnam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
S. Arasaratnam
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| Born | 20 March 1930 Navaly, Ceylon
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| Died | 4 October 1998 (aged 68) |
| Alma mater | Jaffna College University of Ceylon University of London |
| Occupation | Academic |
Sinnappah Arasaratnam (born March 20, 1930 – died October 4, 1998) was a smart historian and writer from Sri Lanka. He was born when Sri Lanka was under British rule. People often called him 'Arasa'. He taught at several universities, including the University of Ceylon, the University of Malaya, and the University of New England (Australia). He was also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.
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Early Life and Education
Arasaratnam was born on March 20, 1930, in Navaly, a town in northern British Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He went to school at Jaffna College in Vaddukoddai. After school, he joined the University of Ceylon in 1947. He graduated in 1951 with a top-level Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree.
Family and Faith
Arasaratnam married Thanalakshmi, who was also known as Padma. They had two daughters, Sulochana and Ranjana, and one son, Niranjan. Arasaratnam was a Christian. He attended the Uniting Church in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.
His Career as a Historian
After finishing his studies in 1951, Arasaratnam started working as an assistant history teacher at the University of Ceylon. In 1954, he went to the University of London to study for his Ph.D. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in history in 1956.
Teaching at Universities
After getting his Ph.D., Arasaratnam returned to Ceylon. He rejoined the University of Ceylon as a lecturer. In 1961, he became a lecturer in Indian Studies at the University of Malaya. He was promoted to a full professor of history there in 1968.
In 1972, Arasaratnam was invited to be a professor in the History Department at the University of New England (Australia). He started this job in 1973. In 1977, he received a special fellowship called the Smuts Fellowship in Commonwealth Studies at Cambridge. Arasaratnam retired from the University of New England in March 1995.
Later Years and Passing
Arasaratnam died suddenly in Sydney, Australia, on October 4, 1998. He was 68 years old.
Books and Articles
Arasaratnam was a very active writer. He wrote 15 books and 93 articles or chapters for other books. He managed to write so much even while being busy with important academic groups.
- Dutch Power in Ceylon, 1658-1687 (1958)
- Ceylon (1964)
- Indian festivals in Malaya (1966)
- Maritime India in the seventeenth century (1994)
- Ceylon and the Dutch, 1600-1800 (1996)
- Maritime commerce and English power (1996)
