The inauguration ceremony of “Sanjanani 2025: Communication and Public Relations Festival” organized annually by the Department of Mass Communication, University of Kelaniya, and the “Harasara” Awarding Ceremony, which is held in parallel to Sanjanani 2025, were successfully held on the 5th of March 2025 at the Auditorium of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya. This year’s festival, themed “AI and EI: Shaping the Future Together,” was held under the patronage of Senior Professor Nilanthi de Silva, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya.

The Harasara Awarding Ceremony, marking its 18th year, honored Mr. Shan Wickramasinghe, the founder of ITN, Sri Lanka’s first television channel, in recognition of his pioneering contributions to the country’s television media industry. The award was presented to Mr. Wickramasinghe by Senior Professor Nilanthi de Silva, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya.

Aligning with the festival’s theme, Professor Hiran Amarasekara from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura delivered the keynote speech on Artificial Intelligence, providing insightful perspectives on its impact on communication and public relations. Furthermore, the Souvenir of Sanjanani 2025: a special publication marking the Communication and Public Relations Festival, and the 11^th Edition of “Mādhya Vimarśī,” a scholarly publication by the academics of the Department of Mass Communication, were launched during the event.

The inauguration and awarding ceremony were attended by esteemed academics, including Senior Professor Sudath R. D. Kalingamudali, Dean of the Faculty of Science; Senior Professor P. A. Paranagama, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies; Professor M. M. Gunatilake, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences; Dr. Sudath Senarath, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities; Senior Lecturer Wijayananda Rupasinghe, Head of the Department of Mass Communication, along with heads of other departments in the Faculty of Social Sciences, academic staff members of the Department of Mass Communication, other departments and other universities, and students from the Department of Mass Communication.