Dinali Kodituwakku

In conversation with Ashwini Vethakan

JOURNEY OF LIFE

Born in
Colombo

Alma mater
Bishop’s College

Family members
Husband (Harsha), daughter (Kiara) and son (Raoul)

Wanted to be
My own boss

Is
The founder of a homegrown clothing brand

Drives
A Kia

Likes to
Play tennis and work out

Likes to watch
As little TV as possible unless it’s a sporting event or some other interesting activity

Impressed by
People who are authentic and confident

Most unforgettable event
The birth of my two children

Best advice received
A quote that I’m trying to wrap my head around these days – which is ‘do not let the urgent get in the way of the important’

Mantra to unwind
I deserve to chill once in a while and do whatever I like

INTIMATE AND INSPIRING

One new thing you tried this year
I’ve been trying to stick to a schedule, and balance work and home a bit better – this is still work in progress

And something new in your work…
I’ve been implementing a performance management system

Workout preferences
CrossFit and weights

Saddened when…
I see children suffering – be it due to conflicts, poverty or unhappy homes

Success to you is…
Being able to achieve happiness in whatever I do

Three items on your bucket list for the next six months
To get started on Arienti’s international shipping, launch our new and improved website, and take a weeklong vacation with my family

Purpose in life
At different points in our lives, we have different purposes

Your purpose in life at the moment
My purpose in life right now is to be the best mother to my children and the happiest version of myself – and help others around me as much as I possibly can

Describe your day off
Get a workout in before sunrise, make breakfast, get the kids ready for the day, hang out with them, potter around the house, run some errands doing things I enjoy, call my sister or a friend for a chat and then take the children out to play or do something fun

Items on your bucket list following retirement
Have a small beautiful holiday home near the beach or maybe even up in the hills, be able to work out every day and travel more often

Languages you’d like to learn
Tamil, Spanish and Mandarin… but since I’m not too big on learning languages, I’d rather use that time to improve my Sinhala and English language skills

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

Most hated chore
Pumping fuel

Obsessed with
Staying fit

Pet peeves
A plate on a dining table without a place mat, people who brag and a messy house

A moment in time you’d like to go back to
At the moment, it’s pre-COVID times – but otherwise, it would be our annual April holidays with the kids and friends, and my university days

The place and people you feel most at home with
With my husband and kids at home; and since I love being at home, getting me out of the house even to go on vacation can be difficult!

Hobbies
Working out, appreciating art and arranging spaces

Three must-haves
My phone, computer and spectacles

Unlikely food combination
Polos with cheese

Likely retirement destination
Somewhere near a beach

Challenged by
Prioritising

Desired qualities in a friend
Reliability and honesty

One thing you would change about yourself
To stop being too hard on myself

Yourself in a few words…
Energetic, trying to get too many things done, driven and friendly

FAVOURITES

Day of the week
Sunday

Colour
Black

Drinks
Bloody or virgin Mary (it depends)

Place to eat
Barefoot Garden Café

Chill out spot
Home

Food
Thai, Chinese and Japanese

Happy place
Working out in the morning

Brands
Arienti, of course; and in addition, Lululemon Athletica, COS, Uniqlo and Apple

Authors
John Grisham, James Patterson and Jeffrey Archer

Musicians
Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston; and from the newer artistes, Ed Sheeran

Songs
I like most of Ed Sheeran’s songs at the moment

COMPLETE THE SENTENCE

The first thing you need after waking up is…
My phone

The first thing you notice when meeting someone is…
His or her smile

The best thing about working in your industry is…
Being able to create new pieces so often and see people wear our creations

You laugh out loud when…
My kids say or do something funny

Last gift to someone…
A painting

You find yourself challenged by…
Trying to get too much done in 24 hours

You know it’s going to be a bad day when…
I don’t get enough sleep the night before

A new technology that will transform the future is…
Anything that will help eradicate COVID-19 and all viruses causing such diseases

Sri Lanka in a few words…
Home filled with beautiful places and friendly people

Children are…
Amazing and they bring so much happiness

PICK ONE

Most productive in the morning, noon or night
Morning

Work or play after retirement
Both

A leader or follower by nature
Half of each

Cook or foodie
Foodie

The glass is half full or half empty
Half full

Quality or quantity
Quality without a doubt

The most delightful word you can think of
Laugh

Your most used word or phrase
Please

Role models
I don’t have one particular role model; but certainly have different people I look up to for different things in life

Someone you rely on the most
I rely on my husband for advice on work