Thursday, 19 March 2015 00:00
-
- {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Rajeev Rajapakse, from Eric Rajapakse Opticians is a young and dynamic youth with entrepreneurial skills who had taken the business off the shoulders of his father, Rohan Rajapakse. Rajeev did his business studies at 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.”
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 from family, many of whom are also in the optical business. He is very grateful to his parents who were there to advise but also gave him the confidence to make 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 says with a serious undertone.
“The right pair of lenses is the most important component. The frame is what people see and is often given the most amount of time and thought by the wearer, but the right pair of lenses is 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.”
“My day is exciting because of the many customers. They come in numbers to buy spectacles, frames, and it is our duty to inform them of the make, material, manufacturing techniques that the customer is not aware of,” explains Rajeev for whom work is a passion and a hobby.
“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.
He speaks passionately about his pet subject – his social projects to help the poor and to promote sight for all. “We participate in eye camps, giving free or low cost spectacles to people through Colombo Optical Company. We also work with the Council for the Blind and the Federation for the Visually Handicapped. We have also had visually handicapped workers in our team. All this and more are some of our responsibilities towards society,” said the charismatic Managing Director.
Eric Rajapakse Opticians have five branches in Colombo and Kandy and hopes to open another one in the suburbs. Rajeev’s grandfather, Eric Rajapakse, had 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.
What’s in a name it is often said. There is a lot in the signature Eric Rajapakse that has come to connote quality and style.
What are your other interests? Travel – lots of it he says. He loves travelling, is open to new experiences, meeting people and believes 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. In fact, our company has been involved in tennis for generations and have been instrumental in promoting tennis in Sri Lanka.”
He has a good rapport with the staff. He is dedicated to their welfare and to making the company a fulfilling workplace for all.
Soft spoken, Rajeev speaks lucidly about the business activities. Meeting him offers an opportunity to discover this young person’s tremendous energy and infectious enthusiasm.
I ask Rajeev what’s next. “Expansion and innovation within the company firstly, but also in 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.”
