Ponnambalam hailed from a distinguished Tamil family from Jaffna. His father Arumugam Cathiravelu was a Magistrate and District Judge. His own brother Cathiravelu Sittampalam was the first Cabinet MinisterofPosts and Telecommunications in the independent Sri Lanka. His uncle Arumugam Canagaratnam was the chairman of the first Urban Council of Jaffna and built and founded Canagaratnam Maha Vidyalayam. Ponnambalam's grand uncle Viswanather Casipillai was a Crown Proctor and co-founder of the Jaffna Hindu College. His brother-in-law C. Casipillai was the Third Mayor of Jaffna.[1]
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