Around 60% of my life is now about trying to help people: Roshan Mahanama opens up on social service and his Trust
Former Sri Lanka opener and 1996 World Cup winner Roshan Mahanama is devoting his time to empowering underprivileged children across Sri Lanka through his Trust (Roshan Mahanama Trust). His humanitarian work, which grew after the 2004 tsunami, includes rebuilding homes, providing scholarships and establishing the Roshan Mahanama Primary School in remote Weheratanna, which now caters to the needs of over 100 children. Mahanama, a former ICC match referee and member of the Cricket Transformation Committee of SLC, spoke to this correspondent at Sri Lanka Cricket Headquarters on Monday.
“The Roshan Mahanama Trust was established because, after the Easter bombings in April 2019, I felt I had to be there for the people who had faced that unfortunate incident. I visited all three churches with different organisations to see how I could support them,” he said to RevSportz.
“During COVID-19, together with my former teammate and close friend Chaminda Vaas, I helped people in and around Colombo with a group of doctors by providing essential items, dry rations and other necessities. During the economic crisis, we were also on the ground helping people. Funds were coming from friends and family into a private account, and we felt that we had to formalise everything. Many people advised me to do so, otherwise we could run into difficulties. I took their advice and established the Roshan Mahanama Trust in October 2022. We have a group of independent trustees. Initially, my wife was the only family member involved, but we decided to include our three daughters as well,” he added.
Former international cricketers like Glenn McGrath and Andrew Strauss have been actively involved in raising awareness for breast and lung cancer. The Pink-ball Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is an iconic annual cricket fixture that turns the stadium into a sea of pink to raise funds and awareness for the McGrath Foundation. Former England captain Andrew Strauss runs the annual charity campaign “Red for Ruth” to spread awareness for lung cancer.
According to Mahanama, “That is my ultimate goal. Once my responsibilities are over and I have no part to play, that is when I would like to approach Sri Lanka Cricket. I don’t want it to become a conflict of interest or create any complications. I am very clear about what I am doing. That is my ultimate goal because we have a social responsibility. It is not that Sri Lanka Cricket has not been involved in worthy causes. They have supported many causes in the past. But having a dedicated international game focused on breast cancer and paediatric cancer awareness would be my ultimate goal. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.”
Sri Lanka Cricket has extended its full support to ensure his charity work remains unaffected, despite his involvement in the Cricket Transformation Committee, alongside fellow former cricketers, Kumar Sangakkara and Sidath Wettimuny.
“I have deliberately kept the two separate. Even last year, it was through the Dambulla franchise in the LPL that we were able to dedicate a game to breast cancer awareness. It is not only breast cancer; paediatric cancer is another cause that is very close to us. I know some other countries have games dedicated to these causes, whether breast cancer or paediatric cancer. One of the key areas supported by the Roshan Mahanama Trust is paediatric cancer,” he noted.
In the recently concluded Lanka Premier League, one of the group league matches featuring Dambulla Sixers and Jaffna Kings was dedicated to spread breast cancer awareness. According to Mahanama, “The owner of the Dambulla franchise is a dear friend of mine. We played school cricket against each other and go back a long way. When he told me that he wanted to take over the Dambulla franchise, he asked me to come and support him. I told him that we needed to create some empathy and get people to look at the franchise differently from the other franchises. We wanted to bring a humanitarian angle to it.”
On being asked how difficult it was to leave his role as an ICC Elite Panel match referee and dedicate more time to social service, he said, “I stepped down from the ICC on a matter of principle. A lot of people don’t leave the ICC because of the prestige and money involved, but sometimes I feel that in life you need to stand up for what you believe is right.
“I remember a saying by the great leader Nelson Mandela: First be honest with yourself. That really stayed with me. I believe that when one door closes, another opens. I think I have now been able to contribute more to society by becoming involved in social service. Around 60% of my life is now about trying to help people. The purpose of my life has shifted as well. But cricket is too close to my heart, so I will continue refereeing for as long as I can. I still referee in franchise league tournaments around the world. That allows me to remain involved in the game.”
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