The family lived in Cinnamon Gardens, an enclave of Colombo known for its stately whitewashed colonial-era homes kept cool by rows of swaying palm trees. Like most well-to-do Sri Lankan Tamils, the Rajaratnams firmly believed that the path to success in life lay in education, so they sent Raj and his siblings to the finest schools and, in later years, encouraged each of them to pursue a career rather than rely on the family’s wealth.
