Financial Times

Qualified banker turns to carpentry
A Sri Lankan youth with a banking qualification from an Australian university who could have opted for a top career in banking has ventured into the hard-working field of carpentry! With an innovate approach, creativity, drive and enthusiasm Sujith Priyashantha Deza of Ja-Ela is enjoying life as a skilled carpenter with a small workforce under him.

Priyashantha qualified in banking and finance at Talers College, Swinborne University, Australia, going overseas after trying his hand at other jobs in Colombo till 1994. With excellent results at the G.C.E. O/L and A/L, in 1992 he joined John Keells Aquarium Ltd, Ekala and then worked at Banque Indo-Suez as its chief cashier.

He proceeded to Australia in 1996. During this period he did various odd jobs to pay for his studies in Australia and living expenses. In the process he was able to learn many skilled trades, such as carpentry, welding, plumbing etc. and worked at General Motors, Australia - makers of Holden motor cars.

Bored with Australia, Priyashantha returned to Sri Lanka in 1999 and floated a garment factory employing more than 100 girls and achieving desired results until the 2001 Katunayake Airport bomb disaster ruined his business. Quotas ran out and he had to run the factory with little profits. In 2002 he got married to Kumudini Nonis and while wondering what his next step should be, began helping his wife in her decorative work in making Poruwas, settee backs and other floral and structural decorations for weddings and parties.

Priyashantha, always innovative, replaced the traditional brass oil lamp at the Poruwa function and other occasions with a lamp made out of tree branches which drew the attention of reputed floral decorators. Influenced by the respect for dignity of labour and other skilled work in Australia, Priyashantha then decided to embark on a career in carpentry with a difference.

He is now working on a large housing unit of around 4,000 sq. ft. and has renovated a buggy-cart and placed it at the entrance. The banker-turner-carpenter has undertaken work in the one-million-rupee range and is now negotiating total partition and woodwork solutions to new office complexes. He is also negotiating with the hotel sector for a woodwork component in the refurbishing sphere.

Priyashantha told The Sunday Times FT, the most difficult decision he had to make was in turning down opportunities of taking up an executive position in a bank or to invest his funds on a BOI project with some foreign collaboration having many contacts in Australia.

He said that Sri Lanka not only had an abundance of intelligent workers and an educated human resource base but was rich in natural resources that could be used to raise thousands of employment opportunities in fields like agriculture. He said that compared to running a garment factory, the investment in his workshop at present is low.

Old buggy carts, decayed safe-boxes (Pettagamas) and abandoned catamarans have been turned into works of art and ornamental purposes by this talented carpenter. Priyashantha regularly visits the beach and picks up various matter that gets washed ashore.

He then treats, polishes or paints and pastes them on picture frames. He has sent samples of this work to several countries and some contacts in Sweden have shown interest. He is also exploring the possibility of using the Internet for advertising.
There are more than 20 employed under him and by next year he hopes to put up a well-equipped workshop and with the expansion planned, around 100 jobs would be possible.

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