A felicitation ceremony honouring Professor Wimal Dissanayake, one of the founding lecturers of the Department of Mass Communication at the University of Kelaniya, was held on 16 January 2026 at the Auditorium of the Faculty of Social Sciences.

The ceremony, organised by the Department of Mass Communication, was graced by the presence of Professor Wimal Dissanayake and his beloved wife, Dorin Dissanayake, who joined the event via Zoom.

The event was held under the patronage of Senior Professor Nilanthi de Silva, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya.

Four keynote lectures were delivered by distinguished academics. Emeritus Professor Kulatilaka Kumarasinghe delivered a lecture titled “An Introduction to Prof. Wimal Dissanayake’s Literary Career.” Chandrasiri Rajapaksha spoke on “The Legacy of Prof. Wimal Dissanayake in Communication,” while Senior Lecturer Chinthaka Ranasinghe discussed “Prof. Wimal Dissanayake’s Contribution to Literary Criticism.” Dr Manoj Jinadasa delivered a lecture titled “The Global Brand of Asian Communication: Prof. Wimal Dissanayake.”

Key highlights of the event included the screening of a short documentary on Professor Dissanayake and the official presentation of the felicitation volume to the Vice-Chancellor. In addition, a souvenir was launched in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Department of Mass Communication.

The event was further graced by the presence of Professor M. M. Gunatilake, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences; Dr. Sudath Senarath, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities; Emeritus Professor Sunanda Mahendra; Senior Professor Swarna Ihalagama, Head of the Department of Sinhala; Ven. Professor Nedalagamuwe Dhammadinna Thero, Head of the Department of Modern  Languages; Dr Manoj Jinadasa, Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Mass Communication; Chair and Senior Professor Nimal Mallawarachchi; Ven. Professor Malwane Chandrarathana Thero; Professor Gunawardana Nanayakkara; Professor Jinadasa Danansuriya; and Professor Herath Madana Bandara, along with other lecturers of the department.

Also in attendance were Mr Indika Jayaratne, Director of Research Training and Foreign Relations at the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC); Heads of the Faculties of Social Sciences and Humanities; and academic staff members and students of the Department of Mass Communication.

Furthermore, Dr Ajantha Hapuarachchi, Professor Sunethra Kankanamge, and other lecturers from the Departments of Sinhala and Mass Communication of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura; the Department of Communication and Creative Arts, Sri Palee Campus; the University of Peradeniya; and Nagananda University of Kelaniya participated in the event. Senior Lecturer Senaka Senevirathna, Head of the Department of Mass Communication, Nagananda International Institute of Buddhist Studies; Dr. Sunil Sarath Perera; Mohan Dharmarathna; Uvidu Kumarathunga; as well as alumni members of the Department of Mass Communication were also present.