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| Sunday, 16 May 2004 |
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Personality Plus Aruna Rajamanthri: The man who smiled in the face of adversity
Dedication, ethics, values, hard work and perseverance are the pillars of success for Chairman Lanka Institute of Business Management Aruna Padmasiri Rajamanthri. Family His father was a mechanic and his mother was a housewife.Aruna Rajamanthri was born to a family of five members. An elder sister, two younger brothers and a younger sister. His home town was Wellampitiya. Education Rajamanthri had his primary education at the Wellampitiya Siddhartha Maha Vidyalaya. "We were from a poor family and my life from past days was not a bed of roses and to climb to the top was very steep and difficult but I was determined to succeed, thanks to the values and courage instilled by my father." He was very studious from school days and until he came to Grade 10 he was second in class only once. When I sat for my Ordinary Level exam I was about 14 years because I had got double promotions while in school, recalled Rajamanthri. Thirty children sat for the exam and two got through and he was one. From Grade seven onwards I had the dream of entering university because I saw the respect given to the only student who entered university from our village. Once the results came I had to look for a school since Siddartha Maha Vidyalaya at that time did not have Advanced Level classes. Though he applied on his own to several schools his application was turned down. Second mother "I went and met the teacher Gunasiri Karunaratne who was teaching at Lumbini Vidyalaya and explained to him my position. He personally took me to school and explained my situation to the then Principal Mr Lionel Sarath Edirisinghe who enrolled me at school. I entered Lumbini Vidyalaya to do my Advanced level exam in the Commerce Stream and to this date I highly value it as my second mother as it had given me such a lot of opportunities to hone my skills be it in the spheres of education, debating or sports. At that time as expenses were increasing, I had to do a part time job after returning from school. He got a free card to attend tuition classes on Saturdays which saved a lot of money. On Sundays he did another part time job to supplement the income. He used to walk two and a half miles daily to and from home to get to the bus stand to come to school. Though he underwent all these hardships he never neglected his studies or forgot to look after his younger siblings. Lady Luck "Since I was good in my studies all teachers knew me. when National Savings Bank wanted to initially open school savings units our school was selected. They wanted the unit to be operated by students and I was selected as the Manager. we all got a training from none other than Sunil Sarath Perera and the Unit was opened on World thrift Day October 29 1979. The chief Guest was Dr Sarath Amunugama. I had to make the welcome speech and usher in the chief guest. Dr Amunugama was so impressed with my speech that he said that I deserved to be the chief guest and made me sit beside him. During his stint at Lumbini he was a school captain, president of several societies and a member of the debating team. He studied daily for about two hours but when the A/L exam was near he used to keep late. He endured many hardships but it was well worth it as he secured the best results from Lumbini Vidyalaya. After he sat for his Advanced level, he taught in the lower classes in the same school until he got his results. When the results came he thought of seeking a job before entering university. "I put my certificates in a file and started walking looking for a job after eight days I came to "Seneviratne saw mills" at Armour Street, Colombo on a Friday. I asked a person whether I could get a job and the person answered me in the negative and went away. Another person who heard our conversation called and asked me about my personal traits. I said that he could call the school. He gave me five rupees with his address in Maradana and asked me to be there by 9.30 am on Monday. He said that he would try to get a job for me at a bookshop owned by one of his friends. I was thrilled to bits and was impatient until Monday morning. When I went to the said address, I could not believe my eyes, because the person who spoke to me on Friday was seated there. He was none other than Mr Dayawansa Jayakody. The job was nothing fancy but to this day I respect him because he lent me a hand during the time I needed it most. I was paid a salary of Rs 60 weekly. Gradually my salary was increased to Rs 500 and by the time of university entrance my salary was Rs 800. "I wanted to go to university but I did not want to lose the salary. I cried the whole night and brought the letter to Mr Jayakody. He looked at the letter and gave me Rs 1000 to buy the stuff I needed to go to university and he told me to come on the 25th of every month to collect my salary recalled a teary Rajamanthri. University Life He entered the University of Sri Jayawardenapura on October fifth 1981 and Rajamanthri was one of the first recipients of a Mahapola scholarship. he also received a scholarship from Lumbini Vidyalaya. During his third year at university they had to do a presentation at a Marketing Management workshop on advertising. they scored full marks and he was offered a job by none other than the doyen of advertising the late Reggie Candappa. He got through his Bachelor of Commerce special degree in 1985. I am indeed grateful to Shervin Arsakularatne, My wife, my family and my friends for what I am today, said Rajamanthri. While in the university he felt bad to take the salary without doing any work therefore he, together with his friends, thought of putting their talent to use. Tuition Rajamanthri together with his friends Ujantha Siriwardena, Mahinda Chandrasiri and Nimalsiri Gallage started their first class at the Abayaramaya temple Narahenpita in February 1982 with one student, Kanchana Manchanayaka. He started with Economics and switched to teaching accounts later." Our first student was in the university with us and it was a great achievement for us," he recalled. The classes expanded and in 1992 I started to teach in Gampaha as well. LEEDS Institute I started the institute in 1991 and it was an approved institute of Association of Accounting Technicians which introduced exams to Sri Lanka in both English and Sinhala. LIBM Campus It is a private organisation which conducts courses such as BCIT, DBM, ADBM, IT Diploma, Personality Development workshops as well as external degrees. We established this organisation to develop the knowledge, skills and aptitudes of the students to cater to the needs of the job market. Advice Try to be an extraordinary person among the ordinary. Don't ever underestimate yourself, face challenges and you are sure to win. Fact File Name: Aruna Rajamanthri Schools Attended: Siddartha Vidyalaya Wellampitiya and Lumbini Vidyalaya Present Position: Chairman LIBM Campus Wife: Senani, Children: Daughter Sanchitha and son Kalindu |
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