Tribute- Karthigesu Sivathambi: A Scholar Extraordinary
Karthigesu Sivathambi, an extraordinary scholar applying the multi-disciplinary approach as originally promoted by the late K.Kailasapathy, another towering figure in the academic and literary scene and an intellect much adored and highly respected by fellow Sri Lankan intellectuals, passed away in his home in Colombo on 6th July 2011 at the age of 79.
An Emeritus Professor of Tamil in the University of Jaffna, Mr. Sivathamby is known as an outstanding Tamil scholar, specializing in the social and literary history of Tamils, culture and communication among Tamils, Tamil drama and literary criticism. He has authored about 70 books and 200 research papers in Tamil and English.
Born in Karaveddi in Jaffna in 1932, he studied B.A. (History, Economics and Tamil) and M.A. (Tamil) at the University of Ceylon and received his Ph.D. (Drama in Ancient Tamil Society) from the University of Birmingham in 1970, where he studied under Marxist scholar George Thomson.
After serving as a simultaneous interpreter in the House of Representatives of Parliament of Ceylon, he taught at Zahira College, Vidyodaya and Eastern University of Sri Lanka. He was a visiting professor of Tamil at the University of Madras and the Institute of International Studies, Chennai. He was also a senior research/visiting fellow at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Tamil University, Thanjavur, and the University of Cambridge.
He has served as chairman of the Coordinating Committee of Citizens of North and East of Sri Lanka; chairman of The Refugee Rehabilitation Organisation (TRRO) – Jaffna, during 1986-98, and served as the patron of the Colombo Tamil Sangam.
On behalf of the Tamil Community, I offer my heart-felt condolences to his family. Mr. Sivathamby’s death, indeed, was an irreparable loss to Tamil literature and the Left movement.
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