GAME CHANGER

By Vivien Fellegi

Grade 5 newcomer Muraly Srinarayanathas is wonderstruck as he wanders alone through the schoolyard after a blizzard. It's 1987 and he's in Winnipeg; he's never seen so much snow in his life. He hasn’t made any friends here yet, but his imagination consoles him with a vision — a snow fort, crystalline towers twinkling in the cold sun. He begins to roll a snowball, when a younger girl approaches him.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

“Building a fort,” he answers. “Why don’t you help me?”

Before long, 20 children from different grades and backgrounds are erecting the ice castle, with Srinarayanathas leading the operation.

Later, one of them is distraught when older kids demolish their creation. “Don’t worry, we’re going to build it again,” says its architect.

This story captures the essence of who he is, says Srinarayanathas, who has made a career out of bridging differences and unifying work crews. The wins or the losses don’t matter, says the successful serial entrepreneur. “For me, the ultimate goal is that we come together as a team,” he says, “and create beautiful things together.”

By age seven, Srinarayanathas had a lifetime’s experience in adapting to multiple cultures. Born in the U.K. to parents not quite ready for his arrival, Srinarayanathas was sent at age one to live with his grandparents in Sri Lanka, and then at age six to his aunt and uncle in Canada, and, afterwards, his parents took him with them to India where his father ran a film business. At age seven, the family moved to Winnipeg to reunite with their relatives there.

Srinarayanathas learned about philanthropy from all these journeys. His father, a businessman, taught him the value of principles as well as profits. His grandfather stamped out corruption in his Sri Lankan cottage industries. His aunt, the CEO of CancerCare Manitoba, publicized her phone number so patients could reach her. “Service is a core value of … my family,” he says.

But the relatively worldly young boy struggled to belong in his new home in Winnipeg. Even his clothing was different. When tube socks were all the rage, Srinarayanathas’ mother dressed him in more formal dress socks. “Silly things like that wouldn’t allow me to fit in,” says Srinarayanathas. Racial slurs – like the “n-word,” didn’t help. “It hurt,” says Srinarayanathas, “I’m not gonna lie.” But, ironically, his lack of affiliation with any one group allowed the student to hop from one to another, finding commonalities amongst the athletes, the goths and the chess players.

But just as he was finding his footing in his new home, his father, who was working in Bangladesh, suffered a heart attack and Srinarayanathas moved there after his university graduation to help him run a string of businesses. Initially he felt adrift. He had no friends, no one with whom he could even speak English. “It was extremely lonely,” he says. “I cried every night.”

But it eventually dawned on him that his solitude sprang out of his own rejection of the locals. Fearful of losing his grip on his identity, Srinarayanathas had closed himself off from his new environment. With that realization, Srinarayanathas became determined to embrace the unfamiliar cultures and citizens he encountered throughout his South Asian sojourns. “That changed the game for me.”

This new attitude of inclusiveness also translated into financial gain. Clicking with potential clients was key to winning sales. “It is always about relationships at the end of the day,” he says.

This psychological orientation would enrich his life after he returned to Canada at age 33. Computek, a college for mature immigrants, was the first business he acquired. The school, which focusses on business, health care and technology, offers a holistic approach to learning, charging international students the same reasonable rates as domestic students. It also helps them with employment, offering networking opportunities and tutorials in interviewing led by artificial intelligence avatars. “There’s multiple touch points and confidence you need to build,” says Srinarayanathas, “to remind them how powerful they are.”

As Computek thrived, Srinarayanathas invested in a slew of other businesses promoting diversity and inclusiveness, grouping them under the umbrella of 369 Global Inc. The business conglomerate includes entities involved in education and training, financial services, creative industries, philanthropy and more. One of these, a film company called Station 369, produced a feature film last year, This Place, about a romance between two second-generation immigrant women. For Srinarayanathas, one of the executive producers, and one of its cast, the project epitomized 369 Global Inc.’s commitment to celebrating those who dwell outside the norm. The experience was “very emotional,” he says.

But his most meaningful initiative is the Srinarayanathas Foundation. The charity supports organizations focused on improving outcomes for underrepresented communities at home and abroad, investing in health care, education, civic engagement and the creative arts. “This is my passion,” says Srinarayanathas, who launched it in January 2022.

One of his most satisfying contributions has been establishing the Tamil Community Centre, the first in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Hospitals have also been significant beneficiaries. Last year, Srinarayanathas ran the Toronto Waterfront Marathon to raise money and awareness for four community hospitals, including Markham Stouffville Hospital, where his wife, Darya Yermak, works as an internist. His family cheered him on from the sidelines, his two children carrying a sign saying “Appa [father], you’re my hero.”

With the Srinarayanathas Foundation, his life has come full circle. Back when he was that little boy building a snow fort, he remembers the financial struggles faced by his family, eating the same meals of rice and lentils for dinner every night. Srinarayanathas was lucky to land a bursary to attend St. Paul’s, a prestigious Winnipeg high school. Recently, he contributed to the same bursary, helping another young student.

This duty to serve is his most important legacy for his children. Contributing isn’t about building a structure or a statue, he says. It’s how you touch someone’s life. “No one’s going to cheer you on for that,” says Srinarayanathas, but “you have [taken] one small step into creating a better world.”