Pathikada wins Award for Best Educational Television Programme

The conversations Asoka initiated on the Afanasy Nikitin Seamount contributed to the Sumathi win

Asoka Dias has won the Sumathi Award for the Best Educational Television Programme this year. He received the award at the 30th Sumathi Awards ceremony, held recently.

As the host of the morning show ‘Pathikada,’ broadcast on News1st, Sirasa TV, Asoka 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 News1st, Sirasa TV daily on weekdays at 6 in the morning. The programme 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. Asoka 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 Asoka initiated on this seamount, contributed to the Sumathi win.  

Asoka 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 (Pvt) Ltd. and MBC Networks (Pvt) Ltd., collectively known as Sirasa Media Network. Asoka 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.