Asoka Dias wins award for Best Educational Television Program

Friday, 18 July 2025 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Asoka Dias

Asoka Dias has won the Sumathi Award for the ‘Best Educational Television Program’ this year at the 30th Sumathi Awards ceremony, held on 15 July.

As the host of the morning show ‘Pathikada,’ broadcast on News 1st, Sirasa TV, Dias has engaged in discussing current issues with prominent experts on the subject. For the past five years, ‘Pathikada’ has dedicated itself to intellectual dialogue, and is broadcast on News 1st, Sirasa TV daily on weekdays at 6 a.m. The program aims to spread awareness on topics of interest and educate Sri Lankans.

Afanasy Nikitin Seamount is a cobalt-rich seamount located about 1,050 km from Sri Lanka, in the Southern part of the country. Several countries located further away from Sri Lanka have launched international campaigns to secure its ownership. Dias hosted several ‘Pathikada’ episodes, inviting experts to contribute to the dialogue on geopolitical issues, international law, and hydrological matters surrounding this rich and valuable mineral resource, to secure the ownership of the Afanasy Nikitin Seamount by Sri Lanka. The conversations Dias initiated on this seamount contributed to the Sumathi win.

Dias is a media professional with over 30 years of experience in print, electronic, and digital media. Currently, he serves as a Director of MTV Channel Ltd., and MBC Networks Ltd., collectively known as Sirasa Media Network. He is the Country Representative for the Manila-based Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC), which serves as a regional research hub for media and communication matters.