Chandrasiri takes window cleaning to new heights

Chandrasiri Paranawitharana (48) is a window cleaner who scales tall buildings countrywide to clean them until they look as good as new.

Chandrasiri had chosen this unusual livelihood when he was just 18-years-old. “I grew up in a navy camp because of financial problems at home. Here I saw trainees learning rope climbing, which inspired me,” he said.

He attended school at Laxapana Madyama Maha Vidyalaya, in the Nuwara Eliya district, but dropped out in Grade 10, as the Navy camp he was staying in was withdrawn from the area.

Following this, Chandrasiri was trained in a private company as a painter, where he got the opportunity to work on projects such as Randenigala and Rantambe.

“I started my career in 1986, but then I used scaffoldings to scale high areas,” he said. Now he uses special gear, rope and a chair to scale heights. Chandrasiri said that he began using such equipment when he got a contract to clean a private bank down Borella road, where the use of scaffolding was not possible.

“Colombo is dense with buildings and sometimes, it is very difficult to use traditional methods to clean buildings. When I got this contract, I tried a new method and it was successful.”

Now Chandrasiri climbs any tall building with the help of a rope and four others in his team. He said that, for now, the tallest building he worked on is a 12-storied one.

He said that, each day is an exciting one for him. Chandrasiri has eight other siblings in his family, who are all artistes. He said that, his family gave him strength to do something differ- ent and new.

“We wash, paint and fix any cracks on buildings that cannot be accessed from inside, and now, we even travel around the country, if required to do so,” he said.