MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH

MOTIVATIONAL SPEECH

The Director of Studies, Captain (L) SSH Bandara, together with the Course Coordinator, Commander DP Ferdinandus, decided to motivate the trainees by introducing a role model.

The officers and staff of the Naval Institute of Technology selected Retired Lieutenant Commander Chandana Bulegodaarachchi as the ideal person to deliver the motivational speech.

Retired LCdr Chandana Bulegodaarachchi began his career as an Artificer in 1980. He successfully completed the ERA course at INS Shivaji, India. In year 1986 he was commissioned as a Sub Lieutenant. He served 20 years in the Sri Lanka Navy, of which nearly 13 years were spent onboard ships and at naval establishments in the North and East during the high peak of the war. He served as an Engineering Officer (EO) onboard Naval Ships Lihiniya, Jayasagara, and Edithara, and was the EO of Edithara when it was attacked and sunk by the LTTE inside KKS Harbour.

He retired from the Navy in 2000 after completing 20 years of dedicated service as the senior-most Lieutenant Commander at the time. Following his naval career, he was appointed as the first Head of the Sri Lanka Coast Guard under the Ministry of Fisheries.He later served as the Corporate Engineer for all five Aitken Spence Hotels in the Maldives for over eight years and subsequently worked as the General Manager of the Facility Management Company (FEMS, now FMI) under Abans Group, before retiring at the age of 60. All these achievements serve as a true inspiration for any trainee who begins their journey as an Artificer.

He visited NIT on 23rd October 2025, where he delivered an inspiring talk and motivated all trainees with his remarkable life story. The trainees were delighted to listen to his experiences and felt greatly encouraged. At the end of the session, the Director of Studies, Course Coordinator, officers, and staff of NIT presented him with a token of appreciation in recognition of his valuable contribution.