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Kothandarama Natesa Iyer or S. K. Natesa Iyer (1887 - 7 November 1947) was a Sri Lankan journalist, trade union leader and politician of Indian Tamil origin, had pioneered the labour movement in the plantations in the early 1930s.

Early life

Natesa Iyer was a Tamil Brahmin from Thanjavur who spent his early life as a clerk in Madras city. In 1920, moved to Ceylon in order to edit a Ceylonese Tamil newspaper Desanesan owned by Arunachalam and E. V. Rathnam of the Ceylonese National Congress.

Political activities

Natesa Iyer joined the Ceylon Labour Union and soon became its Vice-President. He was elected to the Ceylonese Legislative Council and served as its member. However, soon afterwards, disputes broke out between the Tamil and Ceylonese members of the Ceylon Labour Union and A. E. Goonesinha, the President of the Union accused Indian Tamils for all the country's ills. Natesa Iyer quit the party in protest against Goonesinghe's attitude.

After quitting the Ceylon Labour Union, Natesa Iyer founded the All Ceylon Estate Labour Federation and started an English-language journal called "The Indian Estate Labourer".

In 1936, Natesa Iyer was elected to the State Council of Ceylon from the Hatton assembly constituency and served as a member of the council from 1936 to 1947. He was the first member of the Indian Tamil community to be appointed to the council.

References

• Patrick Peebles (2001). The plantation Tamils of Ceylon. Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 0718501543.
• T. Sabarathnam. Out of Bondage.

1. The Bracegirdle Saga: 60 Years After

External links

• India/Pakistan Asia Times
• Malayaga Tamilarin Aanma Natesa Iyer - By R.Kurinjivendan http://www.dinamani.com/edition/story.aspx?SectionName=Tamil%20Mani&artid=154736&SectionID=179&MainSectionID=179

v t e ← Members of the 1924 Legislative Council of Ceylon (1924 (1924)–1931) →
President: Hugh Clifford (1924–27); Murchison Fletcher (1927–28); Herbert Stanley (1928–31); Bernard Henry Bourdillon (1931); Graeme Thomson (1931) Vice President: James Peiris (1924–1930); Don Baron Jayatilaka (1930–31)
Ex offico Members (5)	General Officer Commanding the Troops Harold Higginson Colonial Secretary Cecil Clementi Murchison Fletcher Edward Bruce Alexander Attorney General Lancelot Elphinstone Controller of Revenue Edward Bruce Alexander Walter Ernest Wait Colonial Treasurer Wilfrid Wentworth Woods
Nominated Members (10)	Official Members (7) Frank Arthur Stockdale Lachlan Macrae John Strachan James Frederick Edmund Bridger Francis Graeme Tyrrell Thomas Reid Maas Thajoon Akbar Unofficial Members (3) Hermann Albert Loos Gerard Wijeyekoon Kadiravalepillai Balasingham
Elected Members (34)	Territorial (24) Colombo Town (North) (1) Victor Corea Colombo Town (South) (1) James Peiris Colombo District (1) Don Baron Jayatilaka Negombo District (1) D. S. Senanayake Kalutara Revenue District (1) E. W. Perera Western Province (Ceylon Tamil) (1) Arunachalam Mahadeva Central Province (Urban) (1) Gerard Wijeyekoon Central Province (Rural) (1) George E. de Silva Northern Province (Northern) (1) Ponnambalam Ramanathan Northern Province (Southern) (1) A. Canagaratnam Northern Province (Eastern) (1) T. M. Sabaratnam (from 19 Feb. 1925) Northern Province (Western) (1) Waithilingam Duraiswamy Northern Province (Central) (1) Suppiramaniam Rajaratnam Southern Province (Eastern) (1) V. S. de S. Wikramanayake Southern Province (Central) (1) Forester Augustus Obeyesekere Southern Province (Western) (1) C. W. W. Kannangara Trincomalee Revenue District (1) M. M. Subramaniam Batticaloa Revenue District (1) E. R. Tambimuttu North Western Province (Western Division) (1) C. H. Z. Fernando North Western Province (Eastern Division) (1) Godfrey Edward Madawala North Central Province (1) H. R. Freeman Province of Uva (1) Henry Kotelawala Kegalla Revenue District (1) Alexander Francis Molamure Ratnapura Revenue District (1) Arthur Hamilton Ekneligoda Molamure Communal (10) European (Urban) (1) Unfinished European (Rural) (1) Unfinished Commercial (1) Unfinished Burgher (2) George Alfred Henry Wille Nathaniel John Martin Muhammadan (3) Mohamed Macan Markar N. H. M. Abdul Cader T. B. Jayah Indian (2) I. X. Pereira S. R. Muhammad Sultan K. Natesa Iyer (from 11 Dec. 1925) Unknown Thomas Yates Wright Edwin James Hayward William Loring Kindersley Thomas Southorn (until 1925) George Thornton Alfred Henry Frank Clarke (from 26 Nov. 1924) W. A. de Silva (from 19 Feb. 1925) Punchi Banda Rambukwelle (from 19 Feb. 1925) Thomas Lister Villiers (from 19 Nov. 1925) Neill Graeme Campbell (from Mar. 1926)

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• 1887 births
• 1947 deaths
• Emigrants from British India to Sri Lanka
• Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka
• Sri Lankan journalists
• Tamil politicians
• Indian Tamil trade unionists of Sri Lanka
• Members of the Legislative Council of Ceylon
• Members of the 2nd State Council of Ceylon
• People from Thanjavur district
• Sri Lankan Hindus
• Workers' rights activists
• Sri Lankan people of Indian Tamil descent
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