Puwanakeethan’s focus and determination is something that is apparent as soon as you meet him. He speaks in clipped tones and with a clear vision for the growth of his motor mechanic business. Having learned the trade from a friend of his father while he was still in school, he soon decided to quit school to pursue the profession. “I decided it was better to do something I was passionate about,” he says, laughingly adding that he was also a rather boisterous youngster who didn’t fit into the disciplinarian environment of school.
He quickly realized that he had a knack for his chosen field, progressing rapidly through three stages of vocational training facilitated through Sarvodaya. He is keen to continue his studies, but now faces a roadblock because he needs to go to Colombo to do so. He is hoping instead that the necessary facilities for the training will be established in Trincomalee one day.
Through the INSPIRED program, Puwanakeethan’s inherent entrepreneurial spirit seems to have received structure and focus. His main takeaway from the INSPIRED program was an understanding of the importance of managing and planning; “without proper management any business will be useless” he says. With the seed grant he received, he bought some much needed equipment. He is hoping to stock up on essential items like engine oil and frequently used spare parts as a way of boosting the enterprise’s revenue and efficiency.
The program also brought other benefits, many of the participants have become his customers. They have also formed informal networks, with Puwanakeethan often connecting people with different needs. For example, he recently ensured that one person with an excess stock of wheat found a buyer. These networks have fostered an informal community of business people united around the values of the INSPIRED program, and who hail from multiple ethnic and cultural groups across the East Coast.