One man can light the spark

Saturday, 24 January 2026 05:46 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Minister Sunil Handunnetti launches the One Stop Shop Investment Portal at the event

By the Harmony Page Team

The iconic North of Sri Lanka-focused event – the Northern Investment Summit (NIS26) – was birthed on the inspiration of one man, based in the South of the country, Indhra Kaushal Rajapaksa. It was held on the 21st and 22nd of January at the Jaffna Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre. The event was organised and managed by many professionals in the North, routed through The Management Club (TMC) of Colombo and its chapter in Jaffna. The Northern Investment Summit was the first of its stature in the three-decade-long conflict-ridden province, and the reiteration of its poignance is worthy for what we call peace-building and/or national unity – that it is a Sri Lankan who is ethnically Sinhalese who blew the first breath of life into this event.

“When I first thought of it and discussed it with peers in the South, many raised an eyebrow and asked me, ‘Why the North?’ My answer was ‘Why not?’” he said in a detailed interview with this newspaper, which will be published in full soon in the main pages.

Indhra Kaushal Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan recycling entrepreneur and an environmental business leader, having started the Kalhari Group in 2003, which today is significant in the recycling industry. This is a business that began by collecting and processing plastic waste, and under his leadership the endeavour encompassed saving the earth from polythene plastics, rubber waste, and steel waste. Subsequently, these efforts were recognised globally, which we will speak of in our interview with him.

As the head of the National Chamber of Exporters (NCE), and through his diverse other representations in business leadership globally, he well identified the capacity of the North of Sri Lanka that could be pitched in the current socio-economic revivalist context, despite the many macro challenges and hurdles.

Below is a brief excerpt of our discussions with him.

“The Northern Investment Summit is a result of the plural – meaning the word ‘we.’ It was run on the leadership talent of the North, and there was no micromanaging by myself, which is not my style of leadership. Therefore, the word ‘I’ is only used by me in relation to this summit as sparingly as possible.”

Indhra is also the Chairman of the Chamber of Marine Industries, Vice President of the Confederation for Small and Medium Scale Industries (COSMI), and President of the Sri Lanka–Pakistan Business Council. These affiliations position him as a key influencer in taking the just-concluded NIS26 to the next level in the years to come, encompassing the potential of regional sustainable development and lasting peace between all SAARC nations and peoples.

The pioneering 2026 Investment Summit saw the interweaving of diverse sectors and the representation of many views on aspects such as investment in solar power, resource-based regional development, and community-centred tourism. Our detailed coverage, impartial analysis, and interviews linked to this event will be featured on this page in the upcoming editions.