On the 6th of May 2025, we paused — with gratitude, with love and with quiet reflection to honour a man whose life changed the Ceylon tea industry. Our Founder, Merrill J. Fernando, was remembered not only through words and memories but also through two beautifully crafted commemorative stamps formally issued by Sri Lanka Post. These stamps are more than paper and ink; they are a tribute to a life defined by kindness, integrity and unwavering purpose.
The 6th of May, which would have been his 95th birthday, has now been formally recognised by Dilmah as ‘Kindness Day’ — a day to reflect on the values he lived by, and to recommit ourselves to making business a matter of human service.
The commemorative stamps were unveiled at a special evening in Colombo, which brought together not only the second and third generations of Dilmah, but also members of the Dilmah Global Family, who had gathered in Sri Lanka for the 11th international Dilmah partner conference.
The stamps themselves are works of art — designed by Pulasthi Ediriweera, a celebrated Sri Lankan artist, songwriter, teacher and designer. With a career spanning over four decades, Pulasthi has brought over 200 stamps to life, each bearing his artistic fingerprint and talent. Trained at the prestigious Haywood Art Institute, and a recipient of national honours such as the Kalapathi and Kalabhushana awards, Pulasthi poured not only his skill but his heart into the depiction of a man who inspired a nation — and the world.
One stamp pays homage to Merrill J. Fernando himself — the first native tea grower to offer his own brand of tea directly to the world. The other honours his life’s work: a legacy of kindness, ethical purpose, and devotion to people and planet. Together, they are a celebration of 40 years of Dilmah and of the values that will carry the brand forward.
Our Founder once said, “In 1950, I devoted my life to tea. I saw so much inequality around the world that even as a young teamaker with nothing more than a big dream, I decided that my Dilmah Tea would serve humanity.” That promise continues to live on in every cup of Dilmah, in every community uplifted through the MJF Charitable Foundation, and now, through these stamps, in every collector’s album as a timeless symbol of compassion in action.
Kindness Day is not just a date on the calendar — it is a call to remember, and more importantly, to act. It is a reminder that kindness is not weakness, but strength. It is not an option, but a duty. It is the essence of all that Merrill J. Fernando stood for.
Let this day, and these stamps, inspire us all to carry forward his dream — to make business truly a matter of human service, and to make kindness not just a memory, but a movement.
