Colombo, Sri Lanka: The star-studded 17th Raigam Tele’es, the premier primetime television awards event of Sri Lanka, raised the curtain on a gala night at the Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo. A distinguished gathering was in attendance. The Grand Awards Ceremony rewarded the accomplishments of talented artistes, and recognized noteworthy contributions made to Sri Lanka’s teledrama programming, to the local television industry, and to the media sector in the past year.
One of several sponsors, Sampath Bank once again signaled its support for Sri Lanka’s entertainment industry by resuming its role as the main corporate sponsor for this event. The move spotlighted the strong, decade-long partnership between Sampath Bank and the Raigam Tele’es.
The glittering night celebrated teledramas that had captivated audiences and the artistes who had starred in them in 2020 and 2021. The nominees for 111 awards in seven categories were announced at a function prior to the main event.
Screen stars Ravindra Randeniya and Sriyani Amarasena were the chief guests. A large gathering of notable personalities–including artistes, producers, directors and journalists–graced the occasion.
Also present among the actors and actresses were representatives from Sampath Bank, the event’s main sponsor. Seen rubbing shoulders with the celebs at the Shangri-La were Senior Deputy General Manager Corporate Banking – Ayodhya Iddawela Perera, Senior Deputy General Manager Group Marketing, Deposit Mobilization and Digitalization – Tharaka Ranwala, Group Chief Information Officer – Ajith Salgado, Group Chief Internal Auditor – Charitha Jayawickrama, Deputy General Manager Operations and Branch Banking – Deepal De Silva, Assistant General Managers Branch Banking – Kumari Jayasuriya and Janaka Jayasuriya.
The event marked the 17th year of the Raigam Tele’es, the event founded to promote Sri Lankan teledrama by recognizing the creators, artistes and others who have made it an integral part of Sri Lanka’s social life. Believing that art can help create a meaningful society and represent its most cherished values, Sampath Bank wished to contribute to the development of arts in Sri Lanka. Signing on as the main sponsor of the Raigam Tele’es was the perfect opportunity for doing that.
Senior Deputy General Manager Corporate Banking Ayodhya Iddawela Perera spoke at the event, saying, “We wish to express our gratitude to the staff of Raigam Tele’es for evaluating the creative output for 2020 and 2021. Raigam Tele’es, which grows more innovative by the year and which offers an international experience for both artist and audience, was once again sponsored by Sampath Bank. Given the bank’s commitment to innovative banking services, I am happy that it’s the chief sponsor of Raigam Tele’es this year as well.”
She noted that encouraging artistes to create entertainment enjoyed by mass audiences will help create a society of responsible individuals. The Senior Deputy General Manager added that this is an investment to be made for a developed country.
“Sampath Bank decided to be the main sponsor to this event to encourage artistes and creators to produce even better dramas and programs for audiences,” she added.
Entries were scrutinized by an impartial panel of judges with years of experience in the field. Winners of the most popular categories were selected by the fans based on the criteria of the judging panel. So, it came as no surprise that this year’s Raigam Tele’es received a tremendous outpouring of praise from both artistes and audiences.
Unlike the criticism and recriminations that sometimes mar such proceedings, the Raigam Tele’es continued its unblemished record of receiving praise following the awards ceremonies. This is a testament to its transparency and impartiality.
Starting 17 years ago and continuing to win the hearts and minds of Sri Lankans every year, the Raigam Tele’es promotes the country’s small-screen art form. With Sampath Bank’s continued support, the organizers hope to keep recognizing outstanding creators and artistes in the years ahead.
