Rotary hails the father that inspired the nation

The brave father who saved the family from imminent death 

Rotary, the global organisation that unites to take action in creating a lasting change in people’s lives, felicitated 36-year-old Kamanathan Ramarajah - the brave father who rescued his wife and three children from a four-storey building which was on fire at Yatinuwara Veediya in Kandy.  “Mr. Ramarajah inspired the nation with his brave leadership that saved his family” said the Rotary Governor of Sri Lanka & Maldives Dushan Soza, at the Rotary Club of Kandy Metropolitan evening meeting.

Fire-fighters, police personnel and the residents laid mattresses on the ground so that victims who were jumping down from the building were safely cushioned, said the President of the Rotary Club of Kandy Metropolitan. 

The Governor said the power of social media was able to capture the hair-raising moment when the brave 36-year-old father Kamanathan Ramarajah threw three-and-half-year-old Sahithiyan, seven-year-old Sathyajith and eight-year-old Nisalan from the third floor to the ground which was covered in mattresses that saved the family. When Sri Lanka has been in the news for the wrong reasons in the last two months driven by political instability, this story has already been shared by millions of people, inspiring hope and inspiration. Ramarajah held on to his the wife, 32-year-old Thangawelu Radhika, when she fell off 4th floor but then had to let go as his hand was giving way to her weight. But she was caught by the mattresses firmly held below by a crowd all of different ethnicities. “We are celebrating the spirit of our nation,” said the Chairman of PR for Rotary Sri Lanka & Maldives Dr. Rohantha Athukorala.