[1][2] Canagasabey was born on 23 May 1955 in a Tamil family in Batticaloa, Ceylon.

[5][8] After school Canagasabey joined the hospitality industry as management trainee at hotel school, later working at the Hotel Lanka Oberoi for five years.

[4] After serving in several parishes he became Archdeacon of Nuwara Eliya on 17 December 1997.

[4][5] He was chaplain and acting headmaster of S. Thomas' College, Bandarawela.

Paul Sarker, Bishop of Dhaka (as representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Dr Rowan Williams), Rt.