THILINI PERERA ATTORNEY AT LAW BEGAN HER CAREER AS A TELEVISION NEWS ANCHOR AT SWARNAVAHINI IN YEAR 2010 -APPOINTED NEWS READER AT SLRC ALSO A LECTURER IN LABOUR LAW,OWNS OFFICIAL YOU TUBE CHANNEL LAW POINT – By Sunil Thenabadu
There are many virtues that make a good television host .Another quality a person must possess is to be a upright. The candidate to be host should have a natural curiosity from younger days having a colossal passion to become a host. To conduct a good interview, you need to have a genuine interest in talking to people, learning about them, and furthering along the conversation. Interview skills can be taught which curiosity only cannot.
As for skills, there is a strong need for the ability to improvise to think on your feet. The best hosts can get off scripts and just be in the moment, toss in their own words, and have a good response to unexpected situations. All television hosts should be friendly, personable, calm under pressure, compassionate, well-spoken able to connect with all audiences. Above all the host should possess a stylish outgoing exterior, with a pleasing speaking voice.
Thilini Lakmali Perera was born on January 5th in year 1990 to humble parents in Godagama has only an elder brother as a sibling married attached to the media too. Father is Patrick Perera who had worked in a shipping firm, while mother Ransiri Perera had been attached to the Kaduwela Municipal Council .Currently her parents are retired are at home, the trio live together. From younger days Thilini has had a awesome craving to be a television host. She had followed all television programs at Swarnavahini closely had known all weekly programs by heart. At school she had got the opportunity to present programs which she had achieved to precision, the ‘Hapan Padura’ programs in schools in particular proving presenting was in her blood with abundance of innate talent not having any hereditary affiliations.
After Thilini successfully completed advanced level at the Samudradevi Girl’s school in Homagama, like many school leavers had joined a bank as a ‘trainee’ though her prime intention was evidently to be a news anchor television host. Suddenly she had seen via a sheer coincidence, a newspaper advertisement calling for anchor news hosts at the Swarnavahini television channel. In order to apply she thought she would not stand a chance as she was well aware that she was not pretty like those presenters then, like Chavika,Ishara, Ransi etc. She also was hesitant in applying as she would have to duet with seasoned hosts like Harendra Jayalal and Nadeeka Karunanayake.It was her elder brother who had encouraged her to apply. Thilini having seen the manner female hosts were dressed with straightened hair, make ups had gone to a close by studio dressed in saree similarly to the Swarnavahini news anchor hosts, sporting a necklace too had taken a photo which looked very impressive of course with a bit of camouflage .She had received a telephone call shortly to the bank she worked requesting to present herself for a formal interview.
It is learnt that over three hundred applicants had applied for a solitary post. On that day she had dressed well with a coloured saree which her mother had bought, straightened her hair with a necklace worn to look similar not to diverge from the photo she had submitted. It has been Harendra Jayalal the senior news anchor host then who had interviewed her.This was the first of four gruelling interviews scheduled for each applicant. Thilini admits that she had done well when the news script was given to be read in front of many, as there was pin drop silence when she read the given news script according to her innate hidden talent. All adjudicators had been startled about her skills. Subsequently Thilini had hurdled over three other interviews gracefully which made the panel of adjudicators decide unanimously to select Thilini over so many other applicants who were assessed. The Managing Director of the Swarnavahini was then Jeevaka Edirisinghe. As it was a formality to introduce Thilini to him she had been requested to call over.At that time Harendra, the leader of the panel had handed over all details of Thilini including her photo. videos, screen tests to hm. But when she arrived clad in a denim and along sleeves shirt ,the MD had quipped, who is this, she not that same girl who was in the videos, photos and screen tests. Harendra insisted that she is the sameThilini who had come in casuals.( All these details were via the courtesy to Harendra Jayalal’s ‘Mithra Samagama’ you tube channel).Thilini had confessed that before her training period on the fifth day itself in September 2010 after culminating her trainee banking career in eight months. she recalls she was called upon to deliver a news anchor at ‘Live at Twelve’ as the administrators knew she was competent enough to anchor news so promptly ,recalled Thilini.
It is pertinent to state that Thilini was adamant from her younger days she was in favour of opting not to enter any university as she did not want her parents a bit impoverished then to spend on her.She her intention was build her own life though she opted not for a university career. After five years’ service as a news anchor at Swarnavahini she was adjudicated as the best news anchor in the 2015 at the Sumathi Awards ceremony. Though Thilini did with time was elected for present many other programs at the Swarnavahini which is adored as she was competent to present. In the Raigam awards ceremony 2019, Thilini had been nominated for the best presenter of programs for which she was very contented as this award was among so many presenters in several television channels that had emerged lately.
Thilini had thought that been a television anchor host would not suit when she ages.Then she had decided to follow a legal course at the Open University which was for four years.But she was confronted with a an issue that she had to report to Swarnavahini from 9 am to 9 pm where she was entitled for office transport. Due to the scarcity of vehicles she was dropped around 11.30pm .Hence the time for her studies in the legal profession was interrupted as such she had failed in the final examination twice, had to stay for two and half years more.Thilini had ultimately taken oaths only in year 2020 after following the attorney at law course for six and a half years instead of the stipulated four year term .During this time Thilini had confessed that several false allegations had been aimed at her and others for no offences proved. Hence though she wanted to contribute her knowledge to her former employee Swarnavahini, owing to these allegations she had categorically decided not to return even temporarily. In this regard she had categorically accused Sudewa Hettiarachchi who was made to be at the helm of Swarnavahini after the multimillion company Lyca Mobile bought over the channel outright. Thilini described him as a cussed guy who was the only person in the entire Swarnavahini who failed to congratulate her after she returned to Swarnavahini after taking oaths as an Attorney at law described as “Hedakara Katakara’ news anchor who shook the whole country by storm.
What transpired for Sudewa to react was when Thilini added in the news bulletin ” for which party the President belongs the President the leader of the country is a prestigious respected person notwithstanding from which party he had emerged. The responsibility of maintaining this prestige lies totally on the media personnel attached to the President’s media chief and those in the division, where the director of the media division was Swarnavahini’s former chief executive officer was Sudewa Hettiarachchi. This comment of Thilini had gone viral.This protest of Sudewa had made Thilini to decide not to come back to Swaranavahini channel. However she is a sought after news anchor whom any channel would welcome. Despite her busy legal profession she has been invited the state channel Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation as a relief news anchor presenting main news from the beginning of year 2023.In the mean time she continues to achieve her dreams has completed a Masters Degree in Human Resource management from the Colombo University, where she works as a visiting lecturer conducting lectures in labour law to students who follow HR diploma studies.Thilini also as an admin and legal director in a Japanese invested private company.
Thilini is lucky to work under President’s Council Upali Senaratne having 43 years’ service in the profession. As her first case she had to defend a couple with means who had taken a child for adaptation from a couple who could not afford to bring him up. Some jealous persons had sent a petition that this couple is doing child trafficking. When the case was taken up Thilini had studied the case vigilantly and enlightened to the female Judge in the bench the correct stand. She had also endeavoured with facts to prove that the couple who had donated the child to the childless parents were not married each having had separate registered marriages. This profession Thilini believes brings a lot of pleasure in trying to bring redress to many accused deceptively. This opportunity has given Thilini to work in this selected legal profession as it derives a huge fulfillment which cannot be evaluated and weighed easily.
The latest triumph of attorney at law Thilini Perera was when she her you tube channel Law Point with Thilini Perera had been subscribed by a one hundred thousand subscribers. In her Face Book page, the delighted Thilini had this to say:- thanks a million times for the trust of heart million times
It’s not easy to win the trust of one million users. Thank you for the love given.
Many seniors in the law sector appreciated this work which started informing the public. Thank you to all the senior lawyers, lawyer friends who humbly said “we watch your channel too”.
Thanks to all the fans who say it when it’s too late to post a video, to my own people who inspire me that I have no interest.
There is no one who hurdled, discouraged, blamed me for content except those who encouraged me when I started a YouTube Channel. So really this victory is one of my happiness and freely. No resourceful who invited to record a program rejected the invitation. I’m honoured that even seniors who never came to the media agree to a program. That was another pleasure.
Thanks to everyone who helped since I started YouTube. (I won’t say by names because there are many people who said so) The limit of only quality content is the same in future. Still have to say today, know the law because not knowing the law is not an excuse.
It is pertinent to mention that with maturity at the Swarnavahini channel having possessed abundance of talent in widespread conventional orthodox affairs Thilini was nominated at the Raigam Telee awards in year 2019 which she confessed to be very contented for even been nominated which gave the impetus to continue with her desired targets with utmost enthusiasm.
Thilini had commenced her Law Point with Thilini Perera official YouTube channel barely two years ago which is subscribed to unprecedented tall elevations. Todate Thilini has uploaded many video to her you tube channel which are viewed with tremendous interest by many. Some of the topics in which she had uploaded to her channel are appended below.These could be viewed by anyone uploaded to precision by her.
“The reasons that attribute for a divorce”.
“All evidence of Police submitted to courts cannot be accepted”.
“Service cannot be terminated while on maternity leave”.
“How the suspects in Nelundeniya murder were cordoned”.
“How a fourteen-year-old was strangled with a shoe lace”.
“The manner a person was killed with a helmet”.
“How the suspects the 4 million robbery in Kadawatha bank were arrested”.
“Video on the 8 year old child was raped and killed”.
“Details of MP Sunil Mendis’ killing”.
“The escape of suspects in Avant Guard case”.
“During the ethnic war how the terrorists possessed cable less mobiles”.
“On Saman Kumara murder case”.
“How the suspects in Kotakethana murders escaped Scott free”.
” The manner Makandura Madusha directed crime while in custody”.
“On the murder of rugger player Thajudeen”.
The list goes on and on .All these could be viewed on the you tube channel ‘Law Point’ of Thilini Perera.For all these videos Thilini had been assisted by retired high police officers,
In the above context Thilini Perera is still to achieve her dream but has achieved to substantial level in numerous fields to unprecedented tall elevations having a Masters Degree in Human Resource management from the IMBS Green University, where she works as a visiting lecturer conducting lectures in labour law to students who follow HR diploma studies.Thilini also as an admin and legal officer in a Japanese invested private company. All would wish aspiring Thilini Perera more successes in her numerous endeavors.
Sunil Thenabadu in Brisbane e mail sthenabadu@hotmail.com
