DRAMA: Horu (Burglars) and Heluven (In Nude) make you laugh. You laugh cracking off the inhibitions crusted around your bourgeois decency. First, a merciless laughter at the fidelity of the 'decent' society around you. Second, the nudity of the powerful in society who, at some stage of life, are forced to cover themselves with the 'clothes of decency' of the lesser folks in society.

The two Sinhala plays are the translations of the plays 'The Virtuous Burglar' and "One Was Nude and One wore Tails" by Dario Fo, the leading radical dramatist in Europe. The Italian playwright who has so far produced more than 70 plays uses laughter to open people's eyes to injustices and maladies in society.

Prasanna Vithanage's two Sinhala plays are a welcome treat to theatre lovers. The Virtuous Burglar comes on stage as Horu (the burglars).

Morfe from Daily News

BY A. G. Piyadasa

INDEPENDENT Television Network (ITN) became the first Sri Lankan television channel to launch Satellite Digital Video Broadcast (DVB-S) Direct To Home (DTH).

Sampath Bank CEO, Anil Amarasuriya and People’s Leasing Co. Ltd. CEO, D. P. Kumarage exchanging the agreements at the signing ceremony.

"Television was introduced to Sri Lanka by ITN, 26 years ago and there are around 10 TV channels, now in operation but there is not a single TV channel possessing the digital technology," said Chairman, ITN, Newton Gooneratne.

"When most of the countries transform its analog transmission system to digital technology, it is a pity that we haven't taken any significant step forward, towards this direction.

That is primarily due to non availability of required funds," he said. "Another important benefit that we will gain is that ITN will be able to cover the entire island via CBNSat .

The present situation is that although there are nearly 10 TV channels, there is not a single TV channel which is having its entire transmission beamed to the North and East.

Not only North and East but there are shadow areas in other parts also which are not receiving strong signals due to geographic locations prevailing in our country.

With the introduction of ITN programmes via CBNSat it will remedy all such drawbacks and enhance viewing opportunity to the entire country," he said.

Last May, Communiq Broadband Network (Pvt) Ltd under its brand name CBNSat launched the first digital Video Broadcasting on Satellite Direct to home in Sri Lanka.

"We launched the platform with world renowned broadcasters, the most wanted and most acclaimed international channels to the Sri Lanka audience," said CEO, CBN, Muhuntan Canagey.

The technology, broke the barriers of reach, video and audio quality, and the ability to use spectrum (normally known to people as frequency) in the most efficient manner.

"This was truly a ground-breaking event in the history of Sri Lanka's broadcast industry," he said.

ITN viewers will also be able to enjoy an array of channels available through Sri Lanka's first ever Satellite TV broadcaster. Channels such as Discovery, CNN, BBC, Pogo, Cartoon Network, MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Raj, Raj Digital, Animal Planet, The History Channel, National Geographic Channel, AI, AXN, Animax, Fashion TV, Reality TV, SET, Zoom, Goal TV1 and Goal TV2 will be available to all the viewers of CBNSat.

Complete sets of the equipment needed to connect to the Satellite Television Network including the satellite dish and decoder will be available in over 1,000 sales outlets throughout the country with CBNSat's exclusive distribution partner, Singer Sri Lanka

Quoted from Daily News

The program's first stage launched under the theme Gamane Giman Nivana Madhya Sathkaaraya (media sponsorship to ease tension of travelling) will be inaugurated at the Colombo Fort Railway Station on Friday May 28th at 5.30 p.m. with the opening of a giant television screen and broadcasting audio facilities The next step in this islandwide program will be opened at Polgahawela and Kurunegala railway statioins on June 1.

Under the second stage, these facilities will be installed at railway stations at Maradana, Kalutara, Gampaha and Anuradhapura.

More From Lanka Daily News

The ITN, Sri Lanka's pioneer Television Network with the collaboration of TV Lanka will telecast the ITN World Service to the Middle East, Australia and part of Africa and Europe. The ITN World Service comprising selected ITN programs will be telecast three hours daily from 9 pm to midnight local time.

The call to join them on the newly re-opened A9 highway is by Young Asia Television, a call made via the highly popular media device of teledrama that keeps Lankans captivated come night, despite turbulent politics and bizarre happenings and ominous prophesies that doomsday is near.

Literary cum cinematic presentations of the horrendous spectre of war that continues to plague human civilization usually deal with missiles and mortars with war planes that soar high like birds of death with processions of grey uniform clad soldiers marching in thousands in hard boots. an aspect that is marginalized in this grisly scenario is the most significant i.e. the impact that war has on the lives of the average man and woman and child.

Of course it has to be admitted that many a Lankan producer has been cognizant of this aspect and has produced a few remarkable pieces but Take this road bursts on us with a difference.

“Me Paren Enna” is telecast every Saturday at 8.30 p.m. on Channel Eye and Sunday at 3.30 p.m. on Rupavahini.

The cast of ‘Sasandara’ includes Nihal Fernando after a short lapse on the mini screen, Kanchana Mendis now seen oftener, Kanchana Kodituwakku, Avanthi Aponso, G.R.Perera, Manel Jayasena, Sujani Menaka and Prasannajith Abesuriya among others. The screen play is by Janaka Siriwardene while Premakumara Jayawardene has produced the teledrama.

‘Sasandara’ depicts the tale of a man, who at any cost and often dubiously wants to grab power, wealth and prestige. His name is Sam and he is a rich contractor. He has a daughter while Eddie his pal is also a businessman. Eddie has a son who had his education down under before coming back to native Sri Lanka. His name is Panduka. Natalia Sam's daughter is somewhat radical in her ideas and is employed as a journalist in a paper run by an NGO. Sam wants her to marry Panduka his pal's son but Natalia has other ideas and so is Eddie.

Meanwhile Panduka gets engaged to a rich girl from Kandy. Her father poses as wealthy and a respectable person till Eddie sees him in a shanty area, only to have different ideas about his status.

Quoted from Daily Mirror

by Anura Maitipe