Business
‘Inspiring Young Minds’
Marist Centennial Oration organized by MSC OBA Colombo branch, delivered by Dr. Ranga Rodrigo, Head, Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering, University of Moratuwa.
Thank you, Mr. Merrick Goonaratne, esteemed Maristonian of the Order of the Rising Sun for the kind introduction.
Rev. Bro. Principal Sunanda Alwis, Rev. Bro Principal Shanthi Liyanage, Rev. Brothers, President of the Maris Stella College Old Boys’ Association Colombo Branch, Eng. Shirley Jayakody, Secretary, Mr. Mithra Weerakoon, members of the executive committee, past presidents, members, spouses, ladies and gentlemen,
Let your mind think of our world of plenty—rivers, minerals, trees, animals, fruits—but with no human beings. Emptiness rumbles through the dark hills and valleys. Then, it is the man, the pinnacle of creation, which enlivens the lifeless world. It is man’s mind, like the sun that bathes the world with morning light, that energizes the world out of empty darkness into meaning. What is man: a thinking being. Man uses the mind, the power of imagination, to transform the world from emptiness to a habitat. If our desire is to have a vibrant and peaceful world, it is the mind of the man that must be inspired. What is the milieu of a man’s mind that can be inspired? It is only a sapling that turns toward the sun. It is only moist clay that can be molded into a beautiful pot. It is the student who is awake who can be inspired. The nature of a mind that can be inspired is its receptiveness, like a sapling, moist clay, or a listening student. A young mind does not essentially is in a youngster, but in a human who is receptive. Inspiring young minds is, then, empowering those who are receptive to work towards a renewed world.
If the entire existence depends on inspired minds, and such an inspiration is only advantageous, what is the barrier? As I see, there are two barriers: noise and incorrect metrics. A young boy resorts to a windowsill to indulge in reading a book, a treasure trove. There he hears a tone, the tone of an instant message. He drops the book, picks the phone, and immerses in the muddy, turbulent, noisy waters of messages, social networks, and videos. There is no time for reading or reflection when noise is taking its toll. However, children’s love for tools that create noise should not be dealt with retribution. In this context, children will retaliate. The dawn of the era of devices brings to our mind the invention of the printing press in 1440s.
This sent shockwaves through Europe: the press can widely publicize adulterous prints. However, today, we know how to decipher between a good book and a terrible book with ease. The era of devices will reach the same destiny. The second barrier, incorrect metrics, is worse than noise. The story of the bus driver provides me reasons to justify the existence of a lethargic uninspired mind corrupted by an incorrect metric. The driver starts form Piliyandala, where I live, and drives toward Colombo. In his world of incorrect metrics, boarding as many passengers as possible is the goal – the metric. The correct metric should have been the income over expenditure per hour of driving. Noise and incorrect metrics lead anyone far away from inspiration.
In the world drowned in noise and marred with incorrect metrics, how can we go about inspiring young minds? Among many possible, three methods come to my mind: one-on-one mentoring, exemplary life, and joyfulness. An undergraduate dropped by my office to ask what more degrees should he do. He already had a Bachelor of Information Technology Degree and an LLB degree. He was following our Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering degree program, arguably, the most sought after. I told him that more qualifications are of limited use and to get engaged with research. Following that, the work that he did with a couple of more students led to a paper in a high-impact journal, a paper in the Conference on Winter Applications of Computer Vision and, finally, a paper in the coveted Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition. At WACV in Hawaii, the student related to me, another researcher has asked “Do these things, i.e., vision research, happen in your country, Sri Lanka, and where is Sri Lanka, by the way?” The student is now with the computer vision group at University of Maryland. One-on-one mentoring works.
Senior business leaders, economists and international development experts, alongside the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, will headline the Sri Lanka Economic & Investment Summit 2026, organised by The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce on 12 and 13 October at the Shangri-La Colombo.
The Summit will open with a keynote address by T. Krishnakumar, Chief Executive Officer, Reliance Consumer Products Ltd, who brings more than four decades of experience in the consumer brands and FMCG sectors. Having previously served as President of Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia, with extensive experience in building businesses and driving growth across emerging markets, Krishnakumar, more popularly known as Kk, now leads Reliance Consumer Products as it expands across categories and builds new customer, partnership and market opportunities.
Day 2 will bring together four international perspectives across discussions on economic resilience, regional connectivity, sector growth and digital transformation.
Lilia Aleksanyan, Senior Country Economist for Sri Lanka at the Asian Development Bank, will open the day’s discussions with a focus on Sri Lanka’s economic resilience. Her work covers the country’s macroeconomic outlook, policy advice and macro-fiscal and financial-sector reform. Her international policy experience also includes roles at the French Ministry of Finance and the French Central Bank.
The Summit will then turn to Sri Lanka’s connections with regional markets, with P. D. Singh, Chief Executive Officer, India & South Asia, Standard Chartered Bank, delivering the keynote for the session on trade corridors and value chains. Singh counts close to three decades of experience in banking and finance, with senior leadership roles spanning Standard Chartered, JPMorgan Chase Bank and HSBC.
The Sector Deep Dives will bring international perspectives to discussions on healthcare and energy.
Tushar Shroff, Chief Financial Officer, Zydus Lifesciences Ltd, will deliver the keynote for the healthcare discussion, drawing on more than three decades of experience in corporate finance, strategic investment and financial transformation. His career spans senior finance and leadership roles with ABB, Piramal Healthcare, Intas Pharmaceuticals and Vedanta Group, giving him a broad perspective on the business and investment decisions shaping the healthcare sector.
For the energy-focused deep dive, Edore Onomakpome, Regional Infrastructure Industry Manager for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal at the International Finance Corporation, will bring extensive experience in infrastructure investment and project finance across emerging markets. Since joining IFC in 2013, she has held senior roles across Africa and South Asia, including managing IFC’s infrastructure portfolio across 16 countries.
The Summit will conclude its keynote programme with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, who will deliver the keynote for “Nation Building in the Digital Age.” The Prime Minister also oversees the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, bringing a direct policy perspective to discussions on digital transformation, innovation, education and the skills needed for a changing economy.
Together, these perspectives will bring regional, international and policy insight to SLEIS 2026 as Sri Lanka considers how to strengthen economic resilience, attract investment, deepen regional connections and develop new sources of growth.
Held under the theme “Positioning Sri Lanka in a Changing Global Economy: Resilience, Reform, and the Future of Economic Policy,” SLEIS 2026 will take place on 12 and 13 October 2026 at the Shangri-La Colombo.
The Sri Lanka Economic & Investment Summit 2026 is supported by its valued sponsors and partners. Platinum Sponsor – Standard Chartered Bank Sri Lanka, Gold Sponsor – VISA Worldwide (Pvt) Ltd., Bronze Sponsor – South Asia Gateway Terminals (Pvt) Ltd., Strategic Development Partner – Asian Development Bank, Telecommunication Partner – Dialog Telecommunication, Television Partner – Dialog Television, Session Sponsors – David Pieris Motor Company (Pvt) Ltd., Hemas Holdings PLC, Sunshine Holdings PLC, International Construction Consortium (Pvt) Ltd., Microsoft Sri Lanka (Pvt) Limited, Official Logistics Partner – Hayleys Advantis Limited, Official Airline – SriLankan Airlines Ltd., Official Hospitality Partner – Shangri-La Colombo, Airline Partner – China Eastern Air Holding Co. Ltd.
Registrations for SLEIS 2026 are now closed. The Ceylon Chamber looks forward to welcoming participants to the discussions on Sri Lanka’s future trajectory on 12 and 13 October.
Commercial Bank of Ceylon has launched ‘Prestige’, a three-tier banking proposition aimed at high-net-worth (HNW) clients, combining wealth management, advisory services and lifestyle benefits.
The initiative replaces the bank’s existing ‘Elite’ private banking brand with Ruby, Sapphire and Diamond tiers, designed to cater to customers according to their wealth profiles and banking relationships.
The bank said Prestige would provide dedicated relationship managers, priority branch services, preferential rates on loans and deposits, enhanced card privileges, family banking programmes and offshore account solutions.
Its wealth and investment management services include access to capital-protected income solutions, dual-currency investments, institutional deals and estate and portfolio governance.
Clients will also have access to specialist financial and corporate advisory services, including assistance with international relocation, overseas property and capital repatriation.
The programme includes lifestyle benefits such as VIP airport lounge access, travel concierge services, property management and medical coordination, as well as access to selected art and culinary events.
The bank said its flagship Prestige banking residence at R.G. Senanayake Mawatha, Colombo 07, had been refurbished, with the service to be extended to other economically important cities.
Commercial Bank Managing Director/CEO Sanath Manatunge said Prestige was intended to support customers in managing their wealth, business interests, family needs and long-term legacy.
Existing Elite clients are being transitioned to the new programme, the bank said.
Ceylinco Life has rewarded 80 members of its sales force with overseas tours to Vietnam and China for their outstanding performance in the company’s 2025 sales competitions.
The group comprised 62 sales achievers who travelled to Vietnam and 18 who visited China.
The Vietnam tour included visits to Hanoi’s Ho Chi Minh Complex, One Pillar Pagoda, Tran Quoc Pagoda and Hoan Kiem Lake. The group also travelled to Ha Long Bay, where they went on an Aurora Cruise and explored attractions including Sung Sot Cave, Luun Cave and Titop Island.
The tour also featured a sunset party aboard the cruise, with music and refreshments.
The 18 achievers who travelled to China visited several of Beijing’s major historical and cultural attractions, including Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. They also took a boat ride on Kunming Lake.
A highlight of the China tour was a visit to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, including a round-trip cable car ride. The group also attended an acrobatic show at Chaoyang Theatre and visited the Panda Garden at Beijing Zoo.
The company said the tours were organised to recognise and reward sales personnel for their performance and achievements.
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