Seeing a limitless future despite impairment
View(s):By Shannon Salgadoe
From the warmth of a kitchen to the cadence of a public address, Hiranya Fernando moves through the world guided not by sight but by intention, discipline, and an unwavering commitment to her dreams. Born with a visual impairment, Hiranya’s life and work challenge conventional assumptions about limitation.
This is the way it’s done: Hiranya intent on a cooking demo. Pic by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
Raised in Sri Lanka, Hiranya was educated in inclusive schools from an early age, attending Asian International School and later completing part of her schooling in Dubai. It was a deliberate decision made by her family; one she now sees as fundamental. Being in mainstream classrooms, she says, allowed her to grow alongside her peers rather than apart from them. “I think it’s very important for visually impaired persons to be in the mainstream set-up from an early stage,” she reflects. “To interact with other kids, to grow together.”
Much of her early education relied on assistive technology. At school, Hiranya used a Braille note-taker to record lessons and sit for examinations, typing answers in Braille that were later converted into English print. By the time she entered university, she was working on a laptop equipped with screen-reading software, navigating word processing, research, presentations, and exams much like any other student. She went on to graduate in Law and Management from the University of London. Despite the adjustments required, Hiranya does not frame her visual impairment as a defining limitation. “It hasn’t hindered me much,” she says simply. “In some ways, it’s even been a benefit.”
Professionally, Hiranya’s early career followed a conventional trajectory. She completed a research internship at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute before moving into the corporate sector, where she gained experience in hospitality and corporate environments over several years. That path shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many others, Hiranya began working from home, but she also began reassessing how her skills might serve others during a period of widespread disruption. She started conducting online spoken English sessions for small groups of students and professionals, seeing language education as an accessible way to support those whose opportunities had narrowed. At the same time, she returned to writing and is currently preparing a manuscript of poetry and short stories for publication.
Out of this period of reflection emerged a longer-term vision: The Hifern Initiative. Still in its early stages, the initiative aims to provide physical, economic, and psychological support to individuals who need assistance but lack access. Hiranya describes it as a connector: a way to link donors with beneficiaries and resources with needs. During Cyclone Ditwah, the project took on practical form. Hiranya worked to connect affected families with sponsors, facilitating financial aid and support for those who had lost homes and livelihoods. More initiatives are being planned, including educational and language-based programmes.
If Hiranya’s professional life speaks to structure, her culinary work speaks to instinct. Her ongoing series, Cooking with Four Senses, began almost accidentally. As a student, cooking was not central to her routine. That changed after university, when she began watching culinary shows—particularly MasterChef—and later met Michelin-starred chef Marco Pierre White, who gifted her a cookbook and left her with a line that would stay: “If you have a dream, you have a duty and a responsibility to keep to it.”
Food, however, had long been tied to memory. Hiranya recalls her grandmother as a formative influence, someone who constantly experimented in the kitchen. Childhood visits to her home were marked by new recipes, shared meals, and time spent together.
Inspired by chefs across cultures — including Christine Ha, the visually impaired winner of MasterChef USA — Hiranya released her first cooking demonstration on social media in late 2019. The response was immediate and encouraging. Since then, she has produced many videos, guiding viewers step-by-step through recipes using adaptive tools such as talking weighing scales, Braille-labelled equipment, and detailed verbal narration.
“I have had a little bit of help behind the scenes because I would say I’m still a work in progress, but my skills are developing. I’m learning as I go, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it,” she remarks. Her cooking spans Sri Lankan sweets, savoury dishes, and experiments across cuisines.
Alongside cooking, Hiranya has long been comfortable with the spoken word. From school speeches to public speaking competitions and Toastmasters, she has developed a confidence that carries into every demonstration and workshop she leads. Music, too, remains part of her life. She sings across genres, from pop and R&B to semi-classical and Sri Lankan music, and has performed in choirs.
In a life built without sight, Hiranya Fernando has learned to trust other forms of clarity. What emerges is a way of moving through the world that is deliberate and quietly resolute.
Asked what message she would leave others with, Hiranya does not hesitate. It is the same advice once given to her: “If you have a dream—however unlikely it may seem—you have a responsibility to stay with it.”
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