Ponnambalam Arunachalam
His father was Gate Mudaliyar Arunachalam Ponnambalam. His mother was Sellachchi Ammaiyar. He was the third son of their parents and the younger brother of Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan who was another famous Ceylon Tamil leader. He was educated at the Colombo Academy (Royal College Colombo), Colombo, and at Christ's College, Cambridge.