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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
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{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = S. A. David
| honorific_suffix =
| native_name = எஸ். ஏ. டேவிட்
| native_name_lang = ta
| image =
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| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1924|04|24|df=yes}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2015|10|11|1924|04|24|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Kilinochchi]], Sri Lanka
| residence =
| nationality =
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| citizenship =
| education =
| alma_mater = [[University of Melbourne]]
| occupation = Architect
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}}
'''Solomon Arulanandam David''' ({{lang-ta|சொலமன் அருளானந்தம் டேவிட்}}; 24 April 1924 – 11 October 2015) was a [[Sri Lankan Tamil]] architect, activist and founder of the Gandhiyam Movement.

==Early life==
David was born on 24 April 1924{{Efn|Another source gives David's date of birth as 6 November 1916.<ref name=Arumugam>{{cite book|last=Arumugam|first=S.|title=Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon|url=http://noolaham.net/project/19/1810/1810.pdf|year=1997|pages=47–48|authorlink=S. Arumugam}}</ref>}} and was from [[Karampon]] on the island of [[Velanaitivu]] in northern [[British Ceylon|Ceylon]].<ref name=TN111015>{{cite news|title=Veteran Eezham Tamil freedom fighter Gandhiyam David passes away|url=http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=37966|work=[[TamilNet]]|date=11 October 2015}}</ref> After school David won a [[scholarship]] to study architecture at the [[University of Melbourne]], graduating with a [[Bachelor of Architecture|B.Arch.]] degree.<ref name=Arumugam/><ref name=TN111015/><ref name=TH020812>{{cite news|last=Kolappan|first=B.|title=Reminiscences of a Sri Lankan Gandhian|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/reminiscences-of-a-sri-lankan-gandhian/article3713736.ece|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=2 August 2012}}</ref>

==Career==
After returning to Ceylon David worked as an assistant architect at the Public Works Department.<ref name=Arumugam/><ref name=TN111015/><ref name=TH020812/> Following the passing of the [[Sinhala Only Act]] he resigned.<ref name=TN>{{cite web|last1=David|first1=S. A.|title=Detention, Torture and Murder: An eye witness account of the Welikade Prison Massacre|url=http://tamilnation.co/indictment/genocide83/gen10.htm|publisher=Tamil Nation|date=November 1983}}</ref> He went to the UK to study [[town planning]] in [[Leeds]].<ref name=TH020812/> He subsequently held several positions overseas including senior town planner in [[Liverpool]] and chief architect/town planner in [[Mombasa]].<ref name=Arumugam/><ref name=TH020812/> Whilst in Mombasa David became interested in [[Gandhism]], spending most evenings at Mombasa library studying the 9,000 books on India donated to the library by an Indian lawyer’s clerk.<ref name=TH020812/> He returned to Sri Lanka in 1972 to devote his "heart and soul to alleviate the suffering" of his people.<ref name=Arumugam/><ref name=TN230412>{{cite news|title=Veteran Tamil activist and humanist reaches 88 in exile|url=http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=35117|work=[[TamilNet]]|date=23 April 2012}}</ref>

David, along with S. Rajasundaram, founded the Gandhiyam Movement in 1977 in [[Vavuniya]] to teach the [[Gandhiyam]] way of life.<ref name=TT1182>{{cite journal|last1=David|first1=S. A.|title=Gandhiyam - An Appeal for Support|journal=[[Tamil Times]]|date=November 1982|volume=II|issue=1|page=8|url=http://noolaham.net/project/32/3110/3110.pdf}}</ref> By 1982 the Gandhiyam Movement was operating in [[Batticaloa District]], [[Jaffna District]], [[Kilinochchi District]], [[Mannar District]], [[Mullaitivu District]], [[Trincomalee District]] and [[Vavuniya District]], teaching over 10,000 children the Gandhiyam way of life, assisting refugees, setting up farms and distributing food.<ref name=TT1182/> It worked with other local charities as well as international charities.<ref name=TT1182/>

The [[Sri Lankan government]] accused the Gandhiyam Movement of training [[Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups|Tamil militants]].<ref name=TH020812/> On the night of 7 April 1983 David was staying at the YMCA in [[Colombo]] when the [[Sri Lanka Police Service|police]], led by [[Assistant Superintendent of Police|ASP]] Punya de Silva, arrived and started searching his room using the draconian [[Prevention of Terrorism Act (Sri Lanka)|Prevention of Terrorism Act]].<ref name=TN/> David was taken to the notorious 4th floor of the [[Criminal Investigation Department (Sri Lanka)|Criminal Investigation Department]]'s headquarters in [[Colombo Fort]].<ref name=TN/> Rajasundaram was also arrested.<ref name=TH020812/><ref name=TN230412/> David was assaulted, tortured and threatened by CID officers.<ref name=TN/> He was then transferred to the [[Panagoda Cantonment]] where he was assaulted, tortured and humiliated by the [[Sri Lanka Army]].<ref name=TN/> Commander Udugampala would regularly threaten to kill David.<ref name=TN/> School [[cadet]]s were brought to watch Sri Lankan soldiers perform their sadism on the Tamil prisoners.<ref name=TN/> The violence meted out to Rajasundaram was worse.<ref name=TN/>

David and some other Tamil prisoners were transferred to [[Welikada Prison]] on 27 June 1983.<ref name=TN/> Although there was no torture at Welikada, the conditions were terrible and Tamil prisoners who fell ill were treated badly by the [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]] medical staff.<ref name=TN/> David and Rajasundaram were brought to court on 22 July 1983 and were told that they were being charged with meeting and assisting in the escape of [[People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam]] (PLOTE) leaders [[Uma Maheswaran]] and Santhathiar.<ref name=TN/> The judge ordered David, Rajasundaram and a few other prisoners to be moved to the Welikada's Youth Ward.<ref name=TN/>

On 25 July 1983 the [[Black July]] anti-Tamil riots spread to Welikada's Chapel Ward and around 35 Tamil prisoners were [[Welikada prison massacre|massacred]] by Sinhalese prisoners, aided and abetted by Sinhalese prison officers.<ref name=TN111015/><ref name=TH020812/><ref name=TN/> Two days later armed Sinhalese prisoners broke into the Youth Ward and started attacking Tamil prisoners.<ref name=TN/> Rajasundaram was dragged out of the cell and beaten to death.<ref name=TN111015/><ref name=TH020812/><ref name=TN/> David and others managed to keep the attackers at bay until the Army arrived to disperse the attackers.<ref name=TN/>

After the massacre Tamil prisoners, including David, were transported to [[Katunayake Airport]] by the Army but were ill treated and abused by soldiers along the journey.<ref name=TN/> The [[Sri Lanka Air Force]] then flew them to [[Batticaloa Airport]] but, again, they were ill treated along the journey.<ref name=TN/> From there they were taken to Batticaloa prison.<ref name=TH020812/><ref name=TN230412/><ref name=TN/> The prisoners found out that a maximum security prison was being built in [[Homagama]] and, fearing a recurrence of the events at Welikada, they resolved to escape.<ref name=TN/> On 27 September 1983 41 Tamil prisoners, including David, [[1983 Batticaloa Jailbreak|broke out of prison]].<ref name=TN111015/><ref name=TH020812/><ref name=TN230412/> David spent 27 days in the [[Vanni (Sri Lanka)|Vanni]] jungles before heading to [[Poonakari]] and on to [[Rameswaram]], India by boat with the assistance of PLOTE.<ref name=TH020812/><ref name=TN230412/><ref name=TN/> He arrived in [[Madras]] in 1984.<ref name=TH020812/>

The Gandhiyam Movement helped the up-country Tamil victims of the Black July riots to resettle in the Vanni.<ref name=TN111015/><ref name=TH020812/>

David lived in exile in [[Anna Nagar]] and wrote about the plight of Tamil refugees.<ref name=TN230412/> He returned to Sri Lanka in 2015.<ref name=TN111015/> He died on 11 October 2015 in [[Kilinochchi]].<ref name=TN111015/>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:David, S. A.}}
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:2015 deaths]]
[[Category:Gandhians]]
[[Category:People of British Ceylon]]
[[Category:People from Northern Province, Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan Tamil activists]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan Tamil architects]]
[[Category:University of Melbourne alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century Sri Lankan architects]]

S. A. David - Revision history

->Suonii180: Removed unknown parameter from infobox