Kandiah Balendra

Who they were

Biography Early life and education Born in 1940 [ 1 ] into a well-to-do, Tamil family in Colombo , his father was a revenue inspector. [ citation needed ] He was educated at the Royal College, Colombo , where he excelled in sports. [ 2 ] He participated in the Royalist team at the 1958 Bradby Shield Encounter , where Trinity was defeated to end their streak of six consecutive victories. [ 3 ] It was when he represented Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club ,

Deshamanya Kandiah "Ken" Balendra was a Sri Lankan corporate leader and executive, who held many corporate positions in Sri Lanka and the region. He served as the first Sri Lankan chairman of John Keells Holdings Ltd., the largest conglomerate in the island. He was the chairman of Brandix Lanka Ltd. and the South Asia Regional Fund of the Commonwealth Development Corporation.

Early life

Educated at: Royal College, Colombo.

Path and career

Honours and recognition Awarded the Sri Lankan national honour Deshamanya by President Chandrika Kumaratunga (1998). [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Appointed Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Sri Lanka. [ 3 ] Awarded The Cavaliers Cross of the Order of Merit of Poland (2007). [ 4 ] Named Sri Lankan of the Year (1998) & voted the Most Effective Business Leader in Sri Lanka (2003) since independence in a poll conducted by the Lanka Monthly Digest magazine. [ 5 ] [ 6 ]

Why this date

Kandiah Balendra appears on our February 3 calendar for 2025 as a death entry.