When the New Zealand Sri Lanka Foundation President Dr Sydney Fernando presented an ‘Appreciation Award’ to Auckland based businessman Puvanakumar Sundaramoorthy at ‘Lanka Nite 2011’ held at Alexandra Park on December 31, everyone present was gratified.
“He richly deserved the honour, because for well over three decades Mr Puvanakumar (he is known by his first name) has been in the forefront of community, social and religious service projects in his native Sri Lanka and in New Zealand. Such an award should have been given earlier,” they said.
Victims of the tsunami that devastated Sri Lanka on Boxing Day in 2004 would remember with gratitude the quick action that he took to dispatch four containers of essential goods and supplies.
Community service has been a part of his life and career since his formative years.
The urge to be of use to the people in the society became a passion and commitment as he joined the Lions Club of Colombo Circle in Sri Lanka in 1990.
“Public health was a matter of concern and hundreds of thousands of people in Sri Lanka did not have the financial means to access good healthcare. The Lions Club was a good platform to reach out to people and places,” he said.
Medical Camps
His commitment to the cause intensified as the Club appointed him to the post of Project Chairman to run medical camps for the poor. These camps proved their usefulness with an increasing number of people checked for diabetics and other common ailments.
“The health camps also helped to promote greater awareness on such deadly diseases as AIDS. We were gratified by the public response and the progress achieved among a cross-section of the communities,” Mr Puvanakumar said.
The Sri Lankan government was quick to recognise the value of his services, in appreciation of which, he was appointed as an ‘All Island Justice of the Peace’ in 1992. A year later, he was elected to the post of President of the Lions Club of Colombo Circle and attended the annual international convention held that year in Arizona, US.
The need to promote better healthcare became stronger and Mr Puvanakumar visited officials of Lions Clubs in UK, Germany, US and Canada to organise more health camps and service projects in Sri Lanka.
Better healthcare
One of the most significant landmarks occurred in 1994, when he set up eye camps and donated ocular lens for cataract surgeries. He also provided for full-fledged laboratories at the Ratmalana Hindu College in Colombo.
“Many of us are successful either as businesses or professionals. If each of us can set apart small amounts for the care of the needy, the world can be rid of poverty and malnutrition. We can also enable everyone access to good healthcare. All human beings have the right to healthy living,” Mr Puvanakumar said.
Community welfare and healthcare projects organised by the Lions Club of Colombo Circle received a major boost under his leadership.
Mr Puvanakumar would remember 1994 as a year of great significance in community and social service. The activities included (a) donation of ocular lens to the needy Matara, Panandura, Vavuniya, Kaluthura (b) donation of a generator to run a night school in the northern part of the country (c) donation of white canes to a number of blind people in many areas to commemorate International Blind Day and (d) election to the Cabinet of the Lions District Club to oversee community services.
Mr Puvanakumar is a devout Hindu and the ‘Dharma Karta’ (Chief Benefactor) of the Murugan and Amman Temples respectively in Vaddukoddai and Karainagar in Jaffna (Sri Lanka).
However, his love for people and the need to promote interfaith goodwill and relationship encouraged him to organise inter-religious conferences in Colombo, involving Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and Muslim priests.
“We can overcome social tensions and differences with love and respect for all. Every religion has its values for humanity in general,” he said.
Business acumen
As a businessman, Mr Puvanakumar has been a source of inspiration for his associates, colleagues and even competitors. His professional life saw a turning point when the Sri Lankan government granted him permission to open a private post office in the northern part of the country in 1990 and soon thereafter, he was elected to the post of Vice-President of the Telecommunications Officers’ Union.
He was the Managing Director of a number of companies including Wellawatte Medical Clinic, Multi Needs Pharmacy, Gilani International Agency Private Limited and Gilani Agency Post Office.
Migrating to New Zealand with his family in 1996, Mr Puvanakumar established the ‘South African Fruit Centre’ in Mairangi Bay, the first of its type in North Shore city to cater to the diverse communities.
In 1999, he launched ‘Voyager,’ the first prepaid telephone card offering calls to India and Sri Lanka at $1 a minute. Understandably, it became an instant success.
“Those were the days when the charges by large companies like Telecom remained unaffordable ($3 per minute) for most people. I am happy that we were able to change the trend,” he said.
Mr Puvanakumar is also the owner of ‘KiwiTalk Card, which has risen in popularity not only among Sri Lankans but also other ethnic groups.
Spiceland
Shoppers at Spiceland on Queens Road in the Auckland suburb of Panmure would agree that it is one of the cleanest, most extensive and least expensive supermarkets in the country.
Thousands of items are on display and sale, including groceries, spices, rice, wheat, flours, biscuits and confectionary, dairy products, snacks, tea, coffee, soft drinks and toiletries.
Since its establishment eight years ago, Mr Puvanakumar has meticulously catered to the changing needs of the shopping public, offering products at prices that are lower than most other supermarkets.
“Sri Lankan goods are becoming increasingly popular not among Sri Lankans but also among Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Europeans, Maoris and Islanders. We have recently introduced an extensive range of biscuits, ice creams, soft drinks and other products manufactured in Sri Lanka, India and other parts of Asia. Our herbal range of biscuits is healthy and inexpensive. We are confident that products such as Ginger Beer would have great demand,” he said.
Married to Malini, who is a General Practitioner, the couple have a daughter (Pradhayini, currently doing her fourth year dentistry in Adelaide) and two sons (Pratheepan, a fifth year medical student in Melbourne and Praveen, a Year 12 student in Adelaide).
