A true story about a real life hero

Wednesday, 8 July 2015 01:09 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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When Ishan Rangajeewa originally convinced a young man to invest in a life insurance policy, little did he dream that his own life would change dramatically. “The young man had very little money with him. In fact he confessed he had not had breakfast or lunch that day and I suspected it was because he was trying to save. So I bought him his lunch and then persuaded him to become a life policyholder to make his future secure. He was uncertain about naming a beneficiary as he was not married. A colleague piped up and jokingly said to make him the beneficiary which in fact he had done,” recalled Rangajeewa.

The young man subsequently fell ill and died suddenly and tragically and only then did Rangajeewa find out that the young man had left his blind mother without any financial support. The fund due from his life cover would go to his friend instead of his mother who needed it more. Rangajeewa was quite upset at the thought. Going beyond his role as an insurance professional, Rangajeewa took it upon himself to help his customer’s mother. He approached the friend and succeeded in convincing him to give the benefit amount to the mother, which truly made a difference to her life.

His act of going beyond his call of duty to help the loved one of a customer saw Rangajeewa recognised as a ‘Real Life Hero’ in the AIA Group. He was also recognised for his professionalism and for demonstrating concern for the well-being of those he served.

Out of the 15 regional winners who were nominated in the first round across Asia as an AIA Real Life Hero, Sri Lanka’s Ishan Rangajeewa from Maharagama Regional Office was among the top six finalists. Rangajeewa’s heart-warming story will bring him recognition and honour in Hong Kong when the winners will be invited to participate in a special event that will showcase their heroic achievements later this year. The other winners are from Thailand, Korea and Singapore with two from Malaysia.

“Rangajeewa’s achievement is truly a cause for celebration,” said AIA Sri Lanka Deputy CEO Upul Wijesinghe. “Insurance is sometimes overlooked and not prioritised by many but the efforts of our wealth planners such as Rangajeewa reflect the value of the great service they perform for our society. This also illustrates the calibre of our wealth planners for whom insurance sales is not a mere job but a way of life that requires great commitment.”