S. Arasaratnam

Sinnappah Arasaratnam (20 March 1930 – 4 October 1998) was a Sri Lankan academic, historian and author, born during British colonial rule. Known as 'Arasa', he was a lecturer at the University of Ceylon, University of Malaya and University of New England (Australia).

Early life and family Arasaratnam was born on 20 March 1930 in Navaly in northern British Ceylon. He was educated at Jaffna College, Vaddukoddai. After school he joined the University of Ceylon in 1947 from where he graduated in 1951 with a First Class Honours BA degree.

Death Arasaratnam died suddenly in Sydney, Australia on 4 October 1998. His literary works were achieved while heavily engaged with activities such as sitting on key bodies such as the Academic Advisory Committee.

Dutch Power in Ceylon, 1658-1687 (1958, Netherlands Institute of Cultural Relations/Djambatan) Ceylon (1964, Spectrum/Prentice-Hall) Indian festivals in Malaya (1966, University of Malaya)

Maritime India in the seventeenth century (1994, Oxford University Press) Ceylon and the Dutch, 1600-1800 (1996, Variorum) Maritime commerce and English power (1996, Variorum)