The Annam Foundation has always been a goal in my life. Time constraints, other priorities and business interests prevented me from pursuing this dream for years. But now, I have finally embarked on this initiative.

What do we do?

Through this Foundation, we run a charitable fund to aid underprivileged students in Sri Lanka to pursue their educational aspirations. Currently, we support a few students from the upcountry Tea Estates of Sri Lanka, which has been the focus of the Fund. One is hopeful to be a Native medicine doctor, the second an Engineer, while three of them will be Art graduates who wish to teach in future . They hail from Mahiyanganaya and Hatton in the hill country of Sri Lanka.

How did it all begin?

I attribute my deep yearning to support the education of less privileged children from the up-country Tea Estates of Sri Lanka to a practice learned from my dearest Amma. During my childhood days, such was her concern for the education of children. Any pleas for a cricket bat or table tennis racket were ignored, while any requests for school fees from the 14 less privileged families around our home locality in Bandarawella towards educational needs were met with whatever she possessed.

The goodwill my dear Amma garnered through her love and generosity was amply demonstrated during the 1983 riots when many or almost all the Tamil homes were razed to the ground; our home stood protected and peaceful because even the rioters knew the goodness of the lady who lived there.

Here was a mother who single-handedly looked after me after the unexpected demise of my Appa. She inculcated strong values, a love for nature, methods of vegetable cultivation, and organic farming long before those phrases and practices became the norm. She chose not to offer flowers for religious ceremonies and rationed them when giving to the Church since she believed they belonged on the trees and the fruits. Only a few fruits were plucked and distributed while the rest remained on the trees for the birds and squirrels to feast on.

Such was the impact of my Amma’s way of life and value system that at the age of 16, I decided that someday, I would rise and, in some way, repeat the good my Amma had taught me through the establishment of the Annam Foundation Fund (Guarantee) Limited that will continue this legacy.

How is it funded?

I put together the initial corpus using my personal funds along with generous contributions from my family, friends, and well-wishers. We are currently using the interest income generated by this initial fund for the students to address their educational needs. This support will continue throughout their course duration, which could be around 4 to 5 years. I’ve also committed a share of the profits earned from my other ventures to augment the fund regularly. And, we welcome donations from like-minded people who believe education must reach everyone.

The good my Amma did, reaped its benefits in due time, and the good we do through this Foundation will impact our lives and those around us. This project gives me immense satisfaction and pleasure like nothing else, and I wish to leave it as a legacy to the aspiring and less privileged youth of Sri Lanka. I know what it is to be helped, encouraged, and supported in one’s journey in life, and I wish to provide the same stepping stones to others to make it in life and change the world.