"Manu was born in Kandy, Sri Lanka in 1975. He attended Trinity and Dharmaraja Colleges in Kandy. He spent one year attending school in Cambridge, UK. He also had the opportunity to train under a local professional artist in Kandy.

Manu showed an interest in art from a very young age. He was introduced to oil painting when he was in Cambridge and quickly focused on oils as his preferred medium. He studied art as a subject for his Ordinary Level examination. This gave him exposure to the art and history of art in Sri Lanka as well as Indian and Buddhist art. Manu won several awards as a student in regional and national art competitions.

Manu showed a keen interest in creative writing. He won several awards including the National Youth Awards in 1994 and 1995 for poetry and short story writing. He has published a collection of short stories and a children's novel.

Manu received a scholarship to attend Franklin & amp; amp; Marshall, a liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. He studied Business Administration for his undergraduate degree, but took the opportunity to take courses in art and literature.

After graduating, he returned to Sri Lanka and entered a career in web design. He has over two decades of experience in this industry, and has been a member of the teams that were awarded national and international web design awards.

Manu is a keen photographer and drone pilot, and has undertaken professional photography, videography and drone work for major corporations in Sri Lanka.

He continued to paint as a hobbyist during this time, but has chosen to focus on painting professionally in recent years.

Manu is a keen traveler, has lived in four continents, and has travelled to about 20 countries. He currently lives and works in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He has participated in the Kala Pola annual art fair held in Colombo several times. He has undertaken commissions for Sri Lankan clients and has sold paintings internationally.