The inauguration ceremony of “Sanjanani 2026: Communication and Public Relations Festival,” annually organized by the Department of Mass Communication, University of Kelaniya, along with the “Harasara” Awarding Ceremony held in parallel with the festival, was successfully conducted on 25th February 2026 at the Auditorium of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University.

This year’s festival was held under the theme “Media Education and Literacy: Toward a National Media Policy,” and took place under the patronage of Senior Professor Nilanthi de Silva, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya.

The Harasara Awarding Ceremony, now in its 19th year, honoured distinguished personalities for their invaluable contributions to the advancement of communication and media studies in Sri Lanka. The awardees were Professor Wimal Dissanayake, one of the founding lecturers of the Department of Mass Communication; Emeritus Professor Savithri Gunasekara, Faculty of Law, University of Colombo; and Mr Wijayananda Jayweera, Senior Journalist. The awards were presented by Senior Professor Nilanthi de Silva, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya. Professor Wimal Dissanayake attended the event via Zoom from the USA, while Emeritus Professor Savithri Gunasekara and Mr. Wijayananda Jayweera addressed the gathering, sharing reflections on their professional journeys and contributions to the field.

The inauguration and awarding ceremony were attended by Professor M. M. Gunatilake, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences; Dr. Manoj Jinadasa, Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Mass Communication; Heads of Departments from the Faculties of Social Sciences and Humanities; academic staff members of the Department of Mass Communication and other departments; and students of the Department of Mass Communication.