SLPI hails Gnanam as doyen of Tamil press
The Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) said the passing away of A.Y.S. Gnanam, the doyen of the Tamil press in Sri Lanka created an irreparable loss to the newspaper industry as a whole and the Tamil language media in particular.

“As Chairman of Express Newspapers Ltd., publishers of the Veerakesari newspaper, Mr.Gnanam has had a long involvement with the media industry, providing a much needed voice for the Tamil language readers,” the SLPI said in a statement.

Mr.Gnanam passed away on Wednesday at the age of 84 and his funeral was held last morning at the Kanatte Cemetery in Borella. Though short lived it was under his leadership that the Group also launched an English language and a Sinhala language newspaper.

“His contribution to the business field needs no special mention as also his philanthropy and commitment to work towards a united Sri Lanka”, the SLPI said. In recognition of his untiring efforts, he was conferred the titles of Deshabandu in 1986, Deshamanya in 1994 and Vishwaprasadini in 1996.