Sundaravadivelu was born on 12 October 1912 to Saradhambal and Duraiswamy in Neyyadupakkam, a village in present-day Kanchipuram district, Tamil Nadu, India.

Earlier he served as educational adviser to the government of Tamil Nadu and was Director of Public Instruction[4] for several decades.

He was the main architect of the midday meal scheme for schoolchildren introduced during K. Kamaraj's chief ministership.

He brought in an "educational revolution" in Tamil Nadu for which he was awarded the Padma Shri[5] by the Government of India.

[4] On 15 October 1940, Sundaravadivelu married Kanthamma (younger sister of Dravidian movement writer Kuthoosi Gurusamy).