A Sri Lankan business leader has been honoured by India for his contribution to the advancement of business and community relations between the two nations with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award, the country’s highest recognition for people of Indian origin.
The award presented by Indian President Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil to Deshamanya Mano Selvanathan, Group Director of Carson Cumberbatch PLC places him in an extraordinary group of eminent global citizens of Indian ancestry whose efforts in their countries have benefitted local communities and helped forge stronger ties with India.
Selvanathan is the first Sri Lankan to receive the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award, presented at the valedictory session of the 9th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (Non-resident Indian Day) Convention at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on 9th January 2011, 96 years to the day Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa.Sir Anand Satyanand GNZM QSO, Governor General of New Zealand, another distinguished non-resident Indian, presided as Chief Guest at the Convention which was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.
Among past recipients of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award are Shri Sibarata Roy, Sir Shridath Ramphal, Lord Navnit Dholakia, Lord Meghnad Desai, Lord Diljit Rana, Lord Karan Bilimoria, Shri Shashi Tharoor, Dr Sam Pitroda, M. Night Shyamalan, Professor C. K. Prahalad, H.E. Bharat Jagdeo, Shri Yesu Persaud, Dr. Hari N. Harilela, Rt. Hon. Sir Anerood Jugnauth and Dato Seri S. Samyvellu.
Another distinguished Sri Lankan to be honoured by India was Sarvodaya founder Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne who in 1990 received the Jamnalal Bajaj award for propagating Gandhian values outside India, and was presented the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize in 2006.
Selvanathan, a third generation Sri Lankan citizen, was Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce from August 1996 to August 1998, President of the Indo-Lanka Chamber of Commerce & Industry from September 2006 to May 2010 and served as President of the Association of Sri Lanka India Economic Development from January 1994 to September 2006. In 2005 he was conferred the title of Deshamanya for services to the country by the President of Sri Lanka.
His current business interests encompass management of Carson Cumberbatch PLC, the second largest public quoted company in Sri Lanka with interests in brewery, plantations, property development, investment portfolio management, mutual funds, hotels and tourism. Mr. Selvanathan is also a director of business ventures in brewery, commodities trading, and oil palm plantation in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and India.
A past president of the Rotary Club of Colombo North, Mr. Selvanathan also serves as the Hon. Consul of the Republic of Chile in Sri Lanka. In his capacity as Chairman of the Indian Heritage Foundation he was instrumental in the publication of a 336 page pictorial record titled ‘The Indo-Lankans – Their 200 year saga.’ The book narrates the history of people of Indian origin in Sri Lanka.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention is organised by India’s Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
http://www.carsoncumberbatch.com
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