Biography of Mr. Sanath Gamage

On the 40^th birthday a motivational guru, human skill development specialist, trainer, lecturer named Mr. Sanath Gamage decided to start his own business to do something for the society with his own ability. So far this is the great achievement and the dream became a success in his life. The journey that he to get this point was one filled with ups and downs, hard work and dedication.

       Born on 6^th of July 1966 for a small middle class family. He was the eldest among two brothers. His father was an administration officer of Department of Education and his mother was a school teacher. So there was educational background in his family. He first started school in St. Thomas College in Bandarawela.It was a private school of that time. In these days his father did politics so that was the time that beginning of the revolution of the free education. Because of the political reasons he changed his school to Bandarawela primary school. In this time he didn’t attend to grade 2 and he promoted to grade 3 because of his father. In grade 3 because of the class skipped he thought about him as a foolish. He has always been unnatural in studies. He was in the last five students among the whole students in his class. He got blamed from everyone. That’s his profile in that time. When he was facing the grade 5 scholarship he didn’t know about what is this grade 5 scholarship and it meaning. However, luckily he passed the exam. After passing the scholarship exam he moved to Bandarawela Central College which was most recognize school in his province at that time.

    From grade 6 towards, he was very rude. He did everything in school without education .He got punishments every time because nobody helped him to get a right way .Finally, his mother moves him to her school called Janananda College in Diyathalawa.On the very first day of that school ,He was challenged by the student who got 1^st place every time in his class. He told “don’t try to be 1^st in this class”. In that moment he laughed to him because he never got 1^st place before. And he didn’t know that’s his life changing moment. However he accepted the challenge and studied well, work hard to gain it.Remainder of the term he had gained 1^st place and he was been a head prefect of the schoolhouse.

                    He did the science for his A/L s. He started to love commerce before 10 months for the exam because his desire. Principal of his school disagreed for his decision. Principal told “son, you are the bright student in the school. Do A/L s in Science stream, you can be a doctor”. He told “No sir, I don’t want to be a doctor, I simply desire to do is commerce”. Finally, principal gave permission to do it with a condition. The condition is “you must be 1^st in commerce class. But he didn’t take that serious in his psyche. He did his studies best. In that period he didn’t attend to tuition classes because he didn’t have money for it.After his dedication for studies, he achieved the target. He was the 1^st class in his class. In 1982 he sited for A/Ls and he was district 1^st in commerce stream. He selected for the Jayawardhanapura University in 1983.He met current industry leaders like Mr.Wagapitiya who is the CEO of Laugfs Holdings LTD in his university life. He was an active participant for politics when he was in university. He started to speak in political stages, but he didn’t have a chance to vote because he was below to 18 years. In this time there were a lot of disputes to Mr. Sanath because of his active participation for the politics. Because of that he had hidden in Colombo for one year. He did a lot of leadership activities in the university and he had lot of friends in the university. When he was Jayewardenepura university JVP tried to get him as a student leader but he refused that invitation. As a reason JVP tried to kill him. At that time his friends helped him to escape from the university. And it was a miracle escaped for him as well as the family, because two people killed by JVP on that day .It was a miracle escape from death.

            When he was in 1^st year, he heard about charted accountancy from his friends. But he didn’t know it. Simply what does it look like?. He has gathered information about that and he bought CA introduction book by spending his bank accounts’ last money. He did self-studies because of lack of money for CA exams. However, he did them well. In this period Jayawardanapura University was closed for 2 years because of JVP activities. In this time period he worked in an audit firm using his accountancy knowledge. Firstly he worked for Rs.200 salaries and after some months, he abled to get Rs.2000 salaries with travel allowances and other benefits. He delivered some sort of money and a motor bike before restarting the university, because of his dedication.Mr.T.Dharmaraja taught to him accountancy for free. After the CA finals he became a charted accountant.

                     The experience knowledge, ability to make important decisions and most importantly how to stand still before challenges that he got by leading the students helped lot later in his life when he was working and when he was doing his business, because leading came so easy to him and he was good at it.

                     When he was finished his final exam in university he applied to a job in Celinco Insurance Co PVT LTD. But in that time he hadn’t even a shirt to wear and also doesn’t have money buy a shirt. Finally, he found a shirt from a friend and went to the interview and faced it nicely. Then he was recruited as an accounting executive. That is the season that computers introduce to Sri Lanka.Then he started to prepare accounts by using his computer knowledge that he gained in university. But there was a problem that preparing accounts manually is more quickly than computerized account preparation. So manager was blamed on him. He told “I am trying to use new technology”, but manager does not agree with him. Then he finished his job in Celinco because of that argument.

                       After that he worked in many shops, preparing accounts and sometimes he joined to deliver goods in the shop with removing his own tie. In his jobless situation, his girlfriend who became his wife now, applied for a job in British Council. But he feared to face the interview because his lack of English knowledge. However, he faced the interview because of a desire to find a job. The interview committee asked “When can you come for work”. He thought and answered, I can work after 2 months. He thought he can improve his English knowledge in this 2 months’ time. But British Council gave him a week time to recruit. After a week time he was recruited to the job and he did it all work successfully. After sometimes he got a scholarship to England and he left his motherland for a short time.

                  When he backed to country, he joined with LIBM.LIBM was an educational institute with 200 students and he developed it to 4000 students .LIBM the place he started motivational speeches and personal development activities. After the job in LIBM he dreamed to teach the students who don’t have money for private education. In that time one of his batch mate invites to do a consultant job in his company. On that job he got 4000 students to teach when he dreamed before. That project was sponsored by Asian Development Bank. Hunger for success and correct decisions, think about others helps Mr. Sanath Gamage to this far and beyond it.

When his 40^th birthday, he decided to open his own business and do something for society, now he is doing counseling for students who failed an exam and motivational speeches for employee in many organizations.

Sometimes he had a good job, good salary luxury   vehicle. Sometimes he had not to eat for his hunger also a job. He swept shops sometimes in his life. That is the life. Don’t afraid to get any opportunity in your life. He explained to us. Sometimes it can change your life also. Lot of choices lot of opportunities in our life and we have use them correctly. According to his destiny he would in jail or mental hospital. But he challenged his own destiny. The trusts we can change our destiny though our thoughts. He told us to his way of speech. He has own blend went KFC make some food. They have a unique recipe. But everyone has that ingredients. His ability also like that. He explains to us.

             He had lovely words to explain things. We were curious to know the secret recipe that he had, which enabled him to achieve all his targets. What he said keeps echoing in my head from the movement to now. You should have a purpose have an in your life. When you identified it.you only do things what helps to achieve your purpose in your life. He said life is too short for things to let go, once you come up with a chance, no matter how big or small it is. You just have to take maximum out of it because you will never ever know whether you have a second chance or not. He is very humble man that is what I felt and his words made me sure that he is. Don’t afraid for the future don't think and suffer about past. Do well in present it's a good thing in your life. We can't tell anyway about our future, but we can tell how it depends on. Think in the present work in the present and live in present. 

Life is nothing, but collection of experiences he said. At first you may not what to do. But when you start collecting your most valuable asset experiences, you will have the precision you need. You will see your target blurring the rest, making you know what exactly to be done. That is experience something you cannot buy. He did 17 jobs in his life you should have a goal. When you have a dream you can gain maximum capacity of your life. But if you fail to achieve it, you would have positive thinking to win your life. When you fail something actually it is not failure it is an opportunity to gain better things in your life. Go forward, use opportunities to success your life. Life gives experiences to go through not to stop or not to suffer.

                        No matter who you are or what you have there will be ups as well as downs, when it is down falls to someone special will be with him to stretch his hands to hold our to stop us from falling it was his wife who always held. His hands whether it was up or down. She is the one of best things that he had in his life he told us to "Always be ethical, do not lose your humanity which is what makes you different from the animals, be someone who useful for others also not just for you. Never forget where you come from and always remember the ones to that tight to dray you down because if it was not for you would not have come this far. "

                            And the words he said will never ever wash away from my head, those will always be there to lift me up when I’m down to keep me going in thick and thin. Never give up your dreams always chase what you dream of, dream you dream when you are not dreaming and keep pushing never give up on anything and once you make that dream a reality that is where you will feel like living. 

 Finally I asked from him, sir, what is your final advice to give for us? And he told” my secret is I did never hate for others even my enemies also. And I’d never get angry with others for their faults“.

                                              When a man wants to be successful in his career even have to face many challenges. Which man wants to be courage on his way to being to success.Mr Sanath Gamage is with courage. So if man with such courage and being successful in his career he must be awarded for being enthusiastic person.