Sir Chittampalam Abraham Gardiner, KSS

Order of St. Sylvester

The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Sylvester Pope and Martyr , sometimes referred to as the Sylvestrine Order, or the Pontifical Order of Pope St Sylvester, is one of five Orders of Knighthood awarded directly by the Pope as Supreme Pontiff and head of the Catholic Church and as the Head of...

 (1896-1960) was a Sri Lankan businessman.

Early life

Chittampalam Abraham Gardiner was born on January 6, 1899 or 1896, son of Samuel Vairamuttu Gardiner and Salomapillai Vairamuttu Gardiner, daughter of Gabrielpillai Bastiampillai. The family was originally from Atchuvely and Manipay

Manipay

Manipay or Maanippaai is an affluent town in the northern Jaffna District of Sri Lanka. The original name of Manipay is Periya pulam. It was a mission location when the American Ceylon Mission came to Sri Lanka in the 19th century. Dr. Samuel Fisk Green founded the Green Memorial Hospital in 1864...

 in Jaffna

Jaffna

Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...

; later, they lived in Colombo

Colombo

Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...

. Chevalier Sir Chittampalam Abraham Gardiner was a Law student when he became interested in business ventures.

Career

Gardiner was in control of several prominent business establishments in the Island. Besides being the pioneer cinema promoter in the country, he was the first ceylonese Chairman of other undertakings including Cargills,Millers and Tuckers (Autodrome). His most successful venture was the Ceylon Theatres Ltd. He chose entertainment as his field of business and founded Ceylon Theatres on 29 September 1928, for which he is remembered today. The concern holds interests all over Ceylon. He was a keen Rotarian, helped many, and made generous endowments to charitable organisations.

In recognition of his valuable services to the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope made him a Knight of St. Sylvester

Order of St. Sylvester

The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Sylvester Pope and Martyr , sometimes referred to as the Sylvestrine Order, or the Pontifical Order of Pope St Sylvester, is one of five Orders of Knighthood awarded directly by the Pope as Supreme Pontiff and head of the Catholic Church and as the Head of...

 (KSS) in 1947. He was appointed to the Senate of Ceylon

Senate of Ceylon

The Senate of Ceylon was the upper chamber of the parliament of Ceylon established in 1947 by the Soulbury Commission. The Senate was appointed/indirectly elected rather than directly elected. The Senate was housed in the old Legislative Council building in Colombo Fort and met for the first time...

, the Upper House of the Parliament in 1947. He was also a keen racehorse owner and his horse won the much-coveted Governors Cup in 1947.

Marriage and children

Sir Chittampalam Abraham Gardiner married Miss Angeline Casie Chetty, daughter of Aloysius Mount Casie Chetty. They adopted a son named Cyril Aloysius Gardiner who was the biological son of Anne Aloysius (née Gardiner) the sister of Sir Chittampalam Gardiner and Santhiapillai Aloysius. Cyril Gardiner married Mavis Henry, daughter of Henry.

Death and afterward

Sir Chittampalam A. Gardiner remained Chairman of Ceylon Theatres until his death in 1960. Tribute was paid to him and his service in the field of entertainment was recognised when Parson’s Road was named “Sir Chittampalam A. Gardiner Mawatha” in his honour.

External links

• http://www.jaffnaroyalfamily.org/chittampalam.php