Sonal Jayawickrama

This gentleman has been in the cinnamon industry for the past 50+ years and knows a cinnamon bark like the back of his hand. But, it’s his story that is amazing. He lives by himself on one of the islands located on Madu Ganga lake. He believes that cinnamon can help cure a variety of different ailments, and credits cinnamon for keeping him fit and agile at a ripe old age of 81. But, what truly amazed me was his adaptation. Once he realized that foreigners loved to visit Madu Ganga, and wanted to know more about cinnamon, he took it upon himself to prepare a “session” of sorts that gives anyone a lot of valuable information about cinnamon cultivation and the spice itself. He first welcomes you with a steaming hot cup of cinnamon tea (which tastes amazing), then shows you different types of cinnamon barks; how they are dried in the traditional way; and finally skillfully scrapes of a bark to show how cinnamon is made. He is paid by the boat operators who bring groups of tourists to his little mini island. In addition to that, he also sells small packs of cinnamon, and other tiny cinnamon based souvenirs. He also makes money through tips that foreigners leave him after the session is over. Since he has started doing these demonstrations over 15 years ago, he is now able to converse in 7 languages! Such an inspiring story, and I strive to be as passionate and dedicated as this individual is to cinnamon, to everything I do.

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