Childhood hobby turns into entertainment business

Water World, an exhilarating experience for children':

Ramani KANGARAARACHCHI

Creative entrepreneurs start ventures related to their hobby and spend more time at the workplace enjoying the work. This is an advantage in two ways because it gives the entrepreneur a sense of satisfaction and productivity increases.

Managing Director Water World Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, Darshana De Zoysa, an entrepreneur also turned his childhood hobby into an entertainment enterprise successfully. The company is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka which brings the mystic wonders of the under sea world to land.

The five-acre land in Bollegala, three kilometres away from the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara is a place full of fun, recreation and education, specially for children. Over 5,000 schools have already visited this unique place from its inception.

The young and creative entrepreneur of this park Darshana was interviewed by Daily News Business.

Darshana who hails from Kalubowila, had his education at Ananda College, Maradana up to the Advanced Level. He followed a marketing course soon after leaving school hoping to start a business of his own one day. One has to listen as to how he spent his childhood to know about the beginning of this business.

"When I was six years old my father brought me a small fish tank with some ornamental fish. I enjoyed looking after them and it became my hobby. In the meantime, my father who worked at the Export Development Board (EDB) used to bring me books about fish from the library. Although I was not an avid reader I took a keen interest to read these books because of my love for fish. I read everything about them and learnt a lot about their behaviour and species. I continued to buy new fish and by the time I was in the Advanced Level class I had sixty fish tanks at home. When it was time to be employed I felt that I could make my hobby pay, he said.

Ornamental fish

With the help of his father and a little publicity around his area he opened an aquarium at his home. He attended to all the work without any helpers. But there were very few customers. However,the situation changed after six months and the business improved gradually.

With this improvement Darshana's father encouraged him to develop it and took him to Singapore to see one ornamental fish export company and the Singapore Bird Park. With this experience he returned to Sri Lanka with new ideas. He then started to import ornamental fish from Singapore. Darshana moved his aquarium to a new three-storied building in Nugegoda and the business progressed well.

I had a plan to start a public aquarium and applied for a bank loan. When I went for the interview the bank officials asked me who will spend money to see fish and turned my application down, It was very discouraging, but I did not give up. There were many others who encouraged me. One of my father's friends helped me financially in a big way. Some friends gifted ornamental fish, some came and worked with me at the site for friendships' sake. With that I was able to lease this five-acre land in Kelaniya and built the aquarium which was opened on May 1,2004, he said.

Display tanks

Today, there are more than 14,000 fish of over 500 species at the Water World including electric eels, lung fish, blind cave tetras, and the largest fresh water fish, the Arapaima. There are more than 150 display tanks along the 800 foot cave with more than 100 information boards about various types of fish and their lifestyles. A small boat yard and a playground with canteen facilities around where families can come and relax.

In 2008, Darshana opened a bird park adjoining the aquarium with 500 birds of 65 species. "I learnt about this concept from a bird park in Singapore. But there are a lot of restrictions in Sri Lanka to have local birds in a park like this. If the Government can relax the restrictions I can improve this much more. This is an ideal place for children to spend their leisure wisely. Children can talk to the birds, feed them and listen to them singing, admiring nature's beauty", he said.

New experience

"I am very happy when children and adults enjoy here. It is not only the money, I am also proud that I was able to introduce a new experience for the people in our country .

The park is open daily from 9.30am - 5.30 p.m including public holidays. It is free for differently able people. We allow access for those on wheel-chairs too in the park

"There is plenty of room for more improvements and my future plan is to introduce new features and expand concentrating on the improved quality.

Asked about the secret behind his success, he said, "My wife and father are behind my success. They are very supportive and I spend a lot of time here at the park doing a lot of work."