by SK Samaranayake

For Daham Gunasena, reaching the summit of Mt. Fuji with his 12-year-old son was not the end of the journey but the beginning of a different kind of lesson.

Gunasena, Director – Commercial at SPAR Sri Lanka and a senior business leader, academic and Chartered Accountant, spent nearly 12 hours on August 19 climbing Japan’s highest mountain with his son, Methum. After eight hours of climbing, the pair reached the 3,776-metre summit before beginning a demanding four-hour descent to Fujinomiya 5th Station.

“The summit was only halfway,” Gunasena reflected, describing the experience as a lesson in preparation, perseverance and responsibility.

Their journey began two days earlier with a trial excursion to the 6th Station and the volcanic landscape around Mt. Hoei. The experience allowed Gunasena to assess the altitude, terrain, weather and equipment before deciding whether his son was ready for the summit attempt.

The climb itself reinforced the value of taking one step at a time. Rather than focusing on the distant summit, father and son concentrated on the next marker, the next few steps and short periods of rest.

Reaching the summit brought another lesson. After taking photographs and celebrating, they still had four hours of descent ahead of them over loose volcanic terrain.

“Reaching the top was an achievement. Returning safely was success,” Gunasena said.

The experience also prompted him to reflect on how Japan manages Mt. Fuji, including visitor education, digital information, sanitation, transport, safety and environmental protection.

Having climbed Sri Pada 12 times last year and five times so far this year, Gunasena sees opportunities to apply some of these principles in Sri Lanka without compromising the mountain’s unique pilgrimage traditions.

He suggested a comprehensive digital platform for Sri Pada providing information on weather, congestion, transport, sanitation, first aid and emergencies, while educating foreign visitors about its religious significance.

For Gunasena, however, the most enduring lesson was personal: a mountain can teach what lectures cannot—through preparation, perseverance, respect for nature and the shared experience of taking each step together.

Sri Lankan industries are being encouraged to adopt advanced condition monitoring technologies to detect equipment problems before they develop into costly failures, as global technology company FLIR and its local partner Marlbo Trading Company strengthen their collaboration.

The companies brought together industry professionals at a technical seminar held on August 20 at Taj Samudra, Colombo, focusing on the use of thermography and acoustic imaging to reduce unplanned downtime, improve energy efficiency and lower maintenance costs.

Organised by Marlbo under the theme “Condition Monitoring Using Thermography and Acoustic Imaging for Measurable ROI,” the seminar highlighted the growing importance of proactive and predictive maintenance in improving equipment reliability and operational efficiency.

FLIR Sales Director – Instrumentation, India, Bhaskar Lala, and APAC Condition Monitoring Specialist David Gambarte shared their expertise on the latest diagnostic technologies and their practical industrial applications.

Thermal imaging can identify abnormal heat patterns linked to electrical and mechanical faults, while acoustic imaging can detect problems that may go unnoticed during routine inspections.

The technology is particularly useful in identifying compressed-air leaks, which can cause significant energy losses and increase operating costs.

Shevon Liyanage, Engineer – Measuring Instruments at Marlbo, also shared insights into applying condition monitoring technologies in the Sri Lankan industrial environment.

The Sri Lanka–China Business Council (SLCHBC) of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce recently celebrated its 25th Anniversary, marking a quarter-century of economic and trade cooperation between Sri Lanka and China. The event, themed “25 Years of Unwavering Alliance,” brought together senior government officials, diplomats, past presidents and office-bearers of the Council, and prominent business leaders from both countries, including Krishan Balendra, Chairperson of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of John Keells Holdings PLC, and Wang Gang, Chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka and Managing Director of China Harbour Engineering Company.

Wasantha Samarasinghe, Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security, and Cooperative Development, attended as the Chief Guest. In his address, the Minister hailed the strong economic relations between the two countries. Noting that China remained Sri Lanka’s largest import partner in 2025, with iron and steel, knitted fabrics and vehicles among the top imports, while Sri Lankan exports to China included apparel, tea, activated carbon, vegetable fibre, coconut husk chips, etc. He also encouraged strengthened partnerships to continue enhancing trade between the two countries, and reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to a stable, transparent and investor-friendly business environment. Sunil Handunnetti, Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development and Chathuranga Abeysinghe, Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, also attended the event.

Zhu Yanwei, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, attending as Guest of Honour on behalf of Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China  Qi Zhenhong, said China greatly appreciates the Council’s outstanding contributions to the economic and trade exchanges between the two countries over the past 25 years, and looks forward to it continuing its bridging role and promoting the bilateral free trade agreement, attracting more Chinese investment, and facilitating the export of more high-quality Sri Lankan products to China.

In the welcome address, the Council’s President Haroun Cader described the anniversary as a celebration of friendship, enterprise and partnership, recalling that the Council was established 25 years ago under the aegis of the Ceylon Chamber to connect the business communities of Sri Lanka and China. He paid tribute to Ambassador Qi Zhendong’s tenure, thanking him for his unwavering support and close cooperation, and outlined the Council’s priorities for the years ahead: giving small and medium-sized Sri Lankan businesses better access to Chinese markets and investors, bringing new technology and skills into local partnerships, and remaining a trusted platform for engagement as digital trade, artificial intelligence, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing reshape global commerce.