Vijaya Corea receives National Honour

Vijaya Corea, popular radio and television presenter, number one MC in the country was honoured with the Gold Award at the first ever National Media Awards at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute last week for the yeoman service he has rendered towards the uplifting of our national media in the field of broadcasting.

The Ministry of Mass Media and Information presented the first ever National Media Awards during a colourful ceremony, under the distinguished patronage of the Prime Minister, Ratnasiri Wickramanayake, Minister of Mass Media and Information, Anura Priyadharshana Yapa and the Minister of Mass Media, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardane.

Vijaya Corea is a household name that has been synonymous with broadcasting and showbiz for over four decades and has often been referred to as Sri Lanka's No.1 Compere. He joined the Commercial Service of Radio Ceylon in the year 1964 and lost no time in establishing himself as the most sought after commercial broadcaster. The impact of his voice and style before the microphone captivated the hearts of listeners. Many professionals and others still recall how, in their youth, they would keep away from or delay to attend classes in school and university in order to listen to Vijaya's "Morning Show" programmes aired over radio.

He has the unique distinction of being Sri Lanka's first TV presenter. As a broadcaster, he single-handedly played an exclusive role in spotting gifted musicians and providing them the avenue of giving expression to their talents, thus, opening the doors for them to make both a career and a livelihood. Some of those who benefited by being brought to the forefront through his radio programmes, include popular names such as Clarence Wijewardane, Annesley Malawana, Indrani Perera, Gypsies and many others too numerous to mention.

The idiom of music identified as 'Sinhala Pop' emerged mainly due to the open doors provided by Vijaya Corea to indigenous compositions via his radio programmes such as "Saturday Star" and "Lanka's Talent in Focus." In appreciation and gratitude, star performers from here and abroad gathered together in a "Grand Salute" to pay a musical tribute to him on his 40th anniversary in electronic media and showbiz at the BMICH in August 2005. In September last year, he was felicitated in Melbourne, Australia by Sri Lankan musicians domiciled in that country who acknowledged his contribution to their careers. It is widely acknowledged that while he served as the Director General of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, he succeeded in bringing a resurgence to radio. The passage of time has appropriately bestowed honour to whom honour is due.