Dhanushka Karunarathne is a courageous woman. When everybody dreams to become a doctor in western medicine, even after having got selected to study medicine, she decided to follow a degree in Ayurvedic Medicine surprising everybody.
Having obtained her degree from the Institute of Indigenous Medicine, today she is a lecturer in Ayurvedic Medicine in addition to being co-founder of their family enterprise – Ceylon Dhee Ayurved (Pvt) Ltd. – which was established in 2014 together with her husband Prof R.S. Jayawardane – former Director of the Institute of Indigenous Medicine. Ceylon Dhee Ayurved offers medical clinics, outpatient wards, ayurvedic panchakarma, ayurvedic beauty care, yoga, and ayurvedic products devoid of chemical ingredients.
“We started this business with beauty care products. At the moment, we are offering a range of beauty care products for head, skin, face, and special diseases. Our products can be sourced from ayurvedic retail outlets as well as the internet and they can be obtained from anywhere in the country.
Dhanushka is currently a senior lecturer attached to the Institute of Indigenous Medicine – the University of Colombo. Her careful time management enables her to fulfil her multiple roles as a wife, mother, lecturer, entrepreneur, and doctor. She is planning to send a batch of ayurvedic beauty care products to Australia which would be her first export order.
This ambitious and determined lady is appreciative of the assistance extended by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) to expand her business. “I got the opportunity to attend a two-week training programme in Australia through the EDB which was an invaluable experience, as it enabled me to learn about promoting products. Furthermore, I was awarded a grant for the Best Export Marketing Plan at the competition which was organized by the EDB to coincide the Women’s Day in 2021. I also took part in export coaching programmes conducted by the EDB as part of their New Exporter Development programme and won financial assistance. The EDB also gave me the opportunity to participate in a three-day workshop which was organized by the Commonwealth Secretariat on Developing Digital and E-commerce Businesses”.
“Selecting a business which suits your passion is very important if one is to become a successful entrepreneur. The support you receive from your family and your skills and capabilities play a critical role in determining how far you go as a businesswoman”, Dhanushka emphasized.
Sri Lanka greatly needs women entrepreneurs in the calibre of Dhanushka to overcome the economic challenges presently faced by Sri Lanka and thrive as a nation.
