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(Reproduced from the Sunday Times of February 17, 2002) Mahinda Ranasinghe is a determined and energetic man, full of ideas and a demonstrated dexterity with mechanical and electronic equipment. A former soldier - he served in the army's field engineers' regiment - he is an accomplished watch and clock repairer with 25 years of experience, an English teacher and a qualified masseur. He is a musician and says he is skilled in masonry and carpentry and also able to repair electronic products. A tool cupboard in the small loft-like room that serves as his workshop-cum-office and bedroom is filled with an assortment of tools. When not teaching, he spends much of his time dreaming and designing. Ranasinghe, a lean and fit 62-year-old with three grown-up children, is looking for ways to manufacture and sell a new clip-on necktie that he has designed and for which he holds a patent. "My design is better than the existing clip-on ties," Ranasinghe said in a recent interview at his home in Peliyagoda. "It is more firmly held in place and is meant for people who don't know how to tie the knot." According to him, very few people know how to really tie the knot of a necktie.
He says he made a few sales but was forced to suspend sales because of a lack of working capital. He is now seeking a partner who can support the manufacture and marketing of the new design as well as his other ventures. One of these is a multi-channel television antenna that he has designed and says provides better reception than existing models in the market.
He can operate the antenna with a button set in the wall next to his bed. This is one of many small but useful gadgets that he has put together in his workshop, making use of his flair for designing and technical skills that he says has been with him since childhood. "I may not be rich financially," he says. "But I'm rich in ideas."
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