P. Kandiah
Encyclopedia
Ponnambalam Kandiah was a Ceylon Tamil politician, Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 and one of the founders of the Communist Party of Ceylon.

Early life

Kandiah was born on 1 July 1914. He was the son of Ponnambalam from Puloly
Puloly
Puloly is a village in Jaffna Peninsula, Northern Sri Lanka. It is located approximately 30 km from City of Jaffna. It is also close to port town of Point Pedro.-See also:*Point Pedro*Ubayakathirgamam*Vallipuram...

 in northern British Ceylon
British Ceylon
British Ceylon refers to British rule prior to 1948 of the island territory now known as Sri Lanka.-From the Dutch to the British:Before the beginning of the Dutch governance, the island of Ceylon was divided between the Portuguese Empire and the Kingdom of Kandy, who were in the midst of a war for...

. He was educated at Jaffna Hindu College
Jaffna Hindu College
Jaffna Hindu College is a boys public national school in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1886 by a group of Hindu people who wanted an English language alternative to the Christian missionary schools. JHC is known throughout Sri Lanka as Hindu College.-History:In the late 19th century all the...

. He later graduated from Ceylon University College. He received a scholarship to study at University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...

 and after two years he graduated with a MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...

 degree in economics. He then studied for a further two years at University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

. On returning to Ceylon he served as a lecturer at Ceylon University College. He served as Deputy Librarian at University of Ceylon, Peradeniya
University of Peradeniya
The University of Peradeniya is a world renowned state university in Sri Lanka, funded by the University Grants Commission...

 for a period. He later taught at Manipay Hindu College.

Kandiah married Parameswari. They had a daughter - Radha.

Political career

Whilst at Cambridge Kandiah met leftist students from Ceylon including Pieter Keuneman
Pieter Keuneman
Pieter Gerald Bartholomeusz Keuneman was a Sri Lankan politician and a Marxist. He was the Cabinet Minister of Housing and Local Government and prominent Member of Parliament and a leading figure in the Lanka Sama Samaja Party .-Early life and education:Pieter Keuneman came from a Dutch Burgher...

 and S. A. Wickremasinghe. He came under the influence of communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...

 and Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...

. After returning to Ceylon he and the other young leftists founded the Communist Party of Ceylon (CPC). He became an active member. He was the CPC's candidate for Point Pedro
Point Pedro Electoral District
Point Pedro Electoral District was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between August 1947 and February 1989. The district was named after the town of Point Pedro in Jaffna District, Northern Province. Udupiddy Electoral District was carved out of the western part of the district in March 1960...

 at the 1947 and 1952 parliamentary elections but failed to get elected. He however won the 1956 parliamentary election and entered Parliament
Parliament of Ceylon
The Parliament of Ceylon was the legislative body of Ceylon established in 1947 by the Soulbury Constitution, prior to independence on 4 February 1948...

. A delimitation commission in the late 1950s created a new electoral district for Udupiddy
Udupiddy Electoral District
Udupiddy Electoral District was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between March 1960 and February 1989. The district was named after the town of Udupiddy in Jaffna District, Northern Province. The district was carved out of the western part of Point Pedro Electoral District in March 1960...

 from parts of Point Pedro. Kandiah stood as the CPC candidate in the new electoral district at the March 1960 parliamentary election but was defeated.
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