Facts about me & who I am?

I started this blog about 4 years back.

This was initially started as a part of a project work for the degree. Thereafter this was non functional for quite some time. Only last week that it clicked my mind that I should again resurrect this old piece of work.

Initially when I published this site I preferred to stay on the basis of anonymity since this was originally planned as an academic piece of work. Thus I did not reveal the exact connection of me to the content of the site. Someone who is known would surely derive the link but for many it would be hard to grasp.

In the earlier posts I have spoken about a seafood processing factory which my father owns. But very less had been written thereafter.

When I was glancing through the blog it suddenly clicked my mind that I should published the legendary story of our family business which my father created. Some might argue that ‘legendary’ is not the most appropriate word, but for me it seems as the more ideal since no one other than who is gifted with some special power would be able to build such a business in quite a succession.

To introduce me I am Indiwary Silva (Fernando). My father was Milroy Fernando & my mother is Vajira.

Almost 2 decades back my father was working for Union Carbide (producers of Eveready batteries). Even though he was working there he always wanted to excel in a business of his own. He was from Negombo which was famous for seafood, and my father saw seafood as a business with a future. He saw the future in this business in a larger scale than most of the others saw. He always wanted to start an export business in seafood.

In early 90’s Union Carbide selected my father and a few others to be sent on a training mission to Malaysia. For my father this was important in 2 ways. Firstly this was a training mission for my father. Secondly this was a mission in search of seafood buyers.

My father wanted to find buyers but he was not 100% sure as to how to find a good buyer. His break came in a surprising way. There was a servant in our home those days and whose sister was in Malaysia. Upon hearing my father’s trip to Malaysia he wanted to send a parcel to his sister. My father also took it. One day in Malaysia after his training, my father sets himself to find this home where this servant boy’s sister worked. My father finds her, hand over the parcel, and asks just because of the curiosity whether she knew anyone who would be interested to buy seafood from Sri Lanka. The response was overwhelming. The destiny has bought my father to the home of one of the biggest Shark Fin importers in Malaysia. The sister of the servant boy quickly sets up an appointment for my father with this Malaysian and the meeting ends up with a success. He was a gentleman by the name of Lin which bought my father the success.

Upon arrival in Sri Lanka my father takes up the new challenge in learning about shark fins. Even though my father was from Negombo, fish exports are totally a new experience to him. He learnt fast. Does the first trail order and the buyer starts to request more volumes. My father initially sends the required quantity from Negombo, but when the time passes by & when the demand increases moves to collect shark fins from the southern coast as well. Always Mr.Lin used to send some extra money than what he promised for a shipment, as a gratitude for the quality and the devotion my father had for the business. He does office work during office hours and concentrates on the export business afterwards. My mother was a strong pillar in supporting him for his endeavors.

One day the Mr. Lin made an open offer for my father. That is to give up the job at Union Carbide and start to do shark fin exports full time. It was a challenging offer. In return my father had one question to ask. That was, if the demand for shark fins diminishes one day, whether Mr. Lin would still support him to take care of his family. Mr. Lin trusted my father more than a business partner and wanted his company more than ever before. Thus after discussing with my mother my father decided to give up his job which he was in for more than 15 years and venture into a new business.

That was how my father, Milroy Fernando entered into seafood business in the early 90’s.

Intermission…