M. Rajendra

In this Tamil name, there is no surname or family name. The name Murugeysen is a patronym, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Rajendra.

Murugeysen Rajendra (4 July 1911 – 10 March 1991) was a leading Ceylonese civil servant.

M. Rajendra CCS
Born	(1911-07-04)4 July 1911 British Malaya
Died	10 March 1991(1991-03-10) (aged 79)
Alma mater	Ceylon University College
Occupation	Civil servant
Title	Treasury Secretary
Term	15 November 1968 – 6 May 1971
Predecessor	H. J. Samarakkody
Successor	C. A. Coorey

Early life

Rajendra was born on 4 July 1911 in British Malaya.^[1][2] He was the son of Visvanathan Murugeysen, who hailed from Vaddukoddai in northern Ceylon, an officer in the British colonial administration, and head of the telegraph office in Kuala Lumpur.^[1][2] Rajendra had his early education at the Victoria Institution before being sent to Ceylon along with his brother Tiruchelvam to study at S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia.^[1][2] The brothers were placed under the guardianship of S. J. V. Chelvanayakam.^[3] At St. Thomas, he was a close friend of Dudley Senanayake, later Prime Minister.^[2] After school Rajendra joined the Ceylon University College, graduating in 1933 with a BA honours degree in history.^[1][2][4]

Rajendra married Neela, a daughter of G. Wignarajah.^[1][2] They had two sons (Jayantha and Ajita) and a daughter (Malathy).^[1][2]

Career

Rajendra joined the Ceylon Civil Service as a cadet on 12 December 1934.^[1][2] He was Assistant Government Agent in Matara, Hambantota, Chilaw, Kandy, and Nuwara Eliya before becoming Government Agent of Eastern Province (1 August 1949 to 6 March 1950) and Government Agent of North Central Province in 1951.^[1][2][5] He was Lands and Land Development Commissioner from 1954 to 1959.^[1][2] He was later permanent secretary at the Ministry of Post, Broadcasting and Information, and Ministry of Nationalised Services.^[1] He was Treasury Secretary and Head of the Public Service from 1968 to 1971.^[1][2][6]

Later life

After retirement Rajendra was chairman of the Freedom from Hunger Foundation and a member of the Monetary Board (1971–77).^[1][2] He died on 10 March 1991.^[1][2]