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A young and dynamic youth with entrepreneurial skills from Eric Rajapakse Opticians, Rajeev Rajapakse took over the business off the shoulders of his father, Rohan Rajapakse recently. Rajeev was a student of Abraham Baldwin College in Georgia USA.
His vision for the company matches the scale of his day at the office “Work is my passion. We strive to provide a personalised and reliable service to our clients, whoever they may be,” Rajeev said.
Human resources, fair play, transparency and an organisation where there is a lot of integrity are the traits that young Rajeev imbibed from his exposure in his foreign travels.
He entered his father’s business with a lot of support by his family, many of whom are also in the optical field. He is very grateful to his parents for being there to advise and guide him in making his own decisions.
A perfect example, one may say, of like minded individuals who manage their personal and professional bearing with passion and precision.
“The quality of our service depends not only on the work and commitment of the personnel, who are all qualified and undergoing continuous training, but also on the products we dispense,” he said.
“The correct pair of lenses is the most important component. The frame is what people see and is often given the most of time and thought by the wearer, but the lenses are of prime importance.
“We have international brands of lenses, with many innovative features, such as lenses that are scratch proof, water proof, colour changeable, anti reflective or anti fatigue to name a few.”
He went on to say that “My sister, Nadeera, lives in Paris but she is part and parcel of the business. We work very closely on matters relating to the company.” They have entrepreneurship and joie de vivre and have been spearheading the group management.
Speaking of his social projects the company is currently involved in, he said: “We participate in eye camps, giving free or low cost spectacles to people. We also work with the Council for the Blind and the Federation for the Visually Handicapped. Currently there are visually handicapped employees in our team.”
Eric Rajapakse Opticians have five branches in Colombo and Kandy and hopes to open another one in the suburbs. Rajeev’s grandfather, Eric Rajapakse successfully converted vision into reality.
Rajeev assiduously maintains the benchmark set for them, having carved an invincible niche for themselves, both Rajeev and Nadeera emphasised their high level of commitment to the business, to give the best to their clients,
When asked him what his other interests are, he said: “Lots of travelling. I love travelling because it opens the doors into new experiences. One could meet people of many continents and I believe it is a way of exploring new cultures.”
“My passion is tennis and I have been representing Sri Lanka in the International Davis Cup tournament since 1998. I am sponsored by the company and have won the Men’s singles title in Mercantile Tournaments.”
He said, “In fact, our company has been involved in tennis for generations and have been instrumental in promoting tennis in Sri Lanka.”
When asked Rajeev what’s next, he said: “First expansion and innovation within the company, and the industry. There are many positive changes taking place in the optical industry in Sri Lanka. Our company is supportive of regulating the optical industry by ensuring opticians are registered and qualified, which is our main focus.”