S. Vithiananthan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Professor
S. Vithiananthan
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| Born | 8 May 1924 |
| Died | 22 January 1989 (aged 64) |
| Alma mater | University of Ceylon School of Oriental and African Studies |
| Occupation | Academic |
| Title | Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jaffna |
| Term | January 1979 – July 1988 |
| Successor | A. Thurairajah |
Professor Suppiramaniam Vithiananthan (born May 8, 1924 – died January 22, 1989) was an important person from Sri Lanka. He was a writer, a university teacher, and the very first leader (called a vice-chancellor) of the University of Jaffna.
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Early Life and Education
Suppiramaniam Vithiananthan was born on May 8, 1924. His father, also named Suppiramaniam, was a lawyer from Tellippalai in northern Ceylon (which is now Sri Lanka).
He went to school at St. John's College, Jaffna. After finishing school, he joined the Ceylon University College in 1941. He studied hard and graduated from the University of Ceylon in 1944 with a special honors degree.
Family Life
Vithiananthan married a woman named Kamala. They had five children together. Their names were Arulnamby, Mahilnangai, Anbu Chelvi, Inpa Chelvan, and Siva Mainthan.
Career as a Professor
After finishing his studies, Vithiananthan started working as a lecturer at the University of Ceylon. A lecturer is a teacher at a university. He also helped manage student dorms, first as a sub-warden and then as a warden.
Later, he went to the School of Oriental and African Studies to continue his education. He earned a PhD degree in 1950. His special research paper, called a thesis, was about an old Tamil text.
Leading the Tamil Department
When he returned to Ceylon, Vithiananthan rejoined the University of Ceylon. In 1952, he became a Professor of Tamil. He was also chosen to be the Head of the Tamil Department at the university. This meant he was in charge of all the Tamil language and literature studies.
First Vice-Chancellor of Jaffna University
From 1977 to 1978, Professor Vithiananthan was the president of the Jaffna Campus of the University of Sri Lanka. On January 1, 1979, the Jaffna Campus became its own university, called the University of Jaffna. Professor Vithiananthan was chosen to be its very first vice-chancellor. This is like being the principal of a big university.
He held this important job until July 1988. During his time as vice-chancellor, the university faced many challenges because of difficult times in the country. However, Professor Vithiananthan worked hard to keep the university open. He even managed to keep it running when other universities in Sri Lanka had to close.
Death
Professor S. Vithiananthan passed away on January 22, 1989.
