1.Full Name – Jayawardhana Mudiyanselage Thanuja Lankanganee

2.Birth Place – Colombo

3.School – Lindsey School,Colombo

4.Family members – Mother,Father,sister and me ,my sister is married and having two kids now

5.What’s your first job and how it leads to media – I started working to bring sponsorships for phone directories but I was not interested in it after that I left it and one of my friends informed me that a leading Dairy Product company is recruiting people for sampling but I was not interested in it too,also my father used to insist me to send Australia as he worked in banking side and my sister also works in a bank so he pushed us to study banking side and I knew that it was not for me.

I was always interested in writing so at the end of 1997 I saw an advertisement that Mr.Pradeep Kumara Balasooriya was recruiting new journalists for a newly established newspaper.My first challenge was to interview Mrs.Susanthika Jayasingha and Mr.Nimal Lakshapathi

6.What was your job role in Sirasa TV – My main job was in Capital Maharaja and I joined there as a freelancer presenter after that I was promoted many times, when I resigned from the company my last position was as one of the Board of Directors.

7.Did you do any other business – No I was never into it but now I’m doing an online business where I can sell my creative ideas brands and businesses because there is a big impact from it

8. What’s your religion and nationality – I’m a Sri Lankan person and a Buddhist

9.How would you like to introduce Thanuja Jayawardhana – I think I’m a woman with principles and someone who likes simplicity. Also I’m someone who would like to finish the work given to me with full capacity and also I think there are two sides to every story and I’m someone who would think everyone’s story as mine, be it happiness or sadness.

10.How did you get the chance to meet Mr.Nimal Lakshapathi – So as I told you, I got a challenge to interview Mr.Nimal Lakshapathi as a journalist,when I went there ,he asked me whether I’d like to become a TV presenter and asked me to face for a screen test too.At that time they have found a boy too and that’s how I met Narada,so the next day we did the screen test but Mr.Nimal said that he had lot of hopes but was disappointed after seeing the screen test.

11.Were you interested in becoming a TV presenter – Actually I didn’t have an interest but I wanted to direct a stage drama

12.So how did you become a TV presenter after the disappointment – Actually Mr.Nimal has done a joke and we started the shooting that same evening.Through that, I learnt who’s a TV presenter and I got successful with more programs, and it became my passion.And to be a TV presenter also needs a lot of qualifications just like any other profession. A TV presenter too needs an investment because there are a lot behind the screen to create the brand of Thanuja Jayawardhana.

13.What was the biggest critic you got through Rasa Risi Gee – The biggest criticism was that I was tarnishing the culture,using both Sinhala and English words in the program,wearing torn jeans and being a tomboy girl. Actually people judged me physically.  But we were trained so well that our friendship is same and there was no professional jealousy, we both mentioned a good relationship as an onscreen TV presenter, that is why our chemistry was better, and if we tarnished the culture, we couldn’t be in the industry for 22 years but we thought out of box to be in media field.

14.When you look back at that era, what do you think now – I’m so happy and I think rather than saying we had luck, I’d say we did hard work with dedication to be here for a long time because we did Rasa Risi Gee for 15 years and I personally wanted to end it too after becoming a judge in Sirasa Super Star.

15. Today there are so many TV channels compared to earlier, according to you, why are female presenters limited in the industry – I’m not blaming male presenters for this issue because the female presenters are coming into the industry but they seem to be lost their target by themselves maybe along with the responsibilities they have to hold after marriage so it’s a fact that, they are not capable of giving full attention and also they forgot  the reason why they came to the industry, that is one fact but the other thing is they take this role very easily thinking that they could be in the industry for long with the same success.I believe that not everyone who can speak can be a TV presenter because it’s important to think before speaking and also it’s in our hands as a TV presenter to keep the dignity of the channel and ourselves, and the audience because we are in this role as it’s our passion.It’s not the job role of a TV presenter to meet the guest in the make up room and ask questions before the program because it’s an insult to the guest too, so rather than taking it easily we should love it because this is a very dignified role.

And also learning about the industry is also very important, they should see how this person has maintained a long term in the industry, learning and the preparation is a must.We should always be thankful, up to this day, whenever I sit for a program, I think this can be my last program because we cannot predict the future.For me,Capital Maharaja is an university.

16.Even today Thanuja Jayawardhana is a brand – there is another side too, gender discrimination ,it affects our brands and jobs too and people have made a big issue out of this but it is what we see in our daily life, we don’t need to delay to talk about this issue because everything is connected to gender discrimination and we need both men and women to balance in decision making,no one can solve the problems of this society without the judgment from both genders.Even in our field, I see that male presenter is always trying dominate the female presenter and keep her as a puppet rather than giving the equal opportunity but I must say that I was really lucky because Narada always gave me the chance to present equally and we coordinated well.

And most producers give the ear piece to the male presenter but I think it’s a must that both presenters should know the rundown of the program and some producers only give the command to the male presenter even if both presenters are given ear pieces,  because if an urgent news is given, the female presenter has no idea about it,so this should be changed.

17.You’re not married, as a woman, how important is it for a woman to be financially independent today and what do you have to say to young women – In my opinion, I think a woman should always be financially independent whether she’s married or not, if not a dependent woman always faces issues because you cannot always ask money from your husband. And there are some women who leave everything they learnt and earned just because of their husbands’ or boyfriends’ opinions, but I see that as a waste of their time, maybe the time they wasted to leave behind everything might be someone else’s dream too. According to me, women should be financially independent and it gives the confidence to women to make decisions equally and it’s a fact,there are women who regret the decision they took to give up their jobs just to concentrate on family.

18.In our society, people always believe that a woman is complete when she’s married and has children. As an unmarried woman, what is your take on this – I believe it’s not possible for a person to be completed just because they marry or have children but with humanity. We know that there are certain reasons for women not to conceive babies,so how can society judge whether she’s a complete woman or not, but according to me humanity does.We have so many friends who are not happy after getting married and what’s the reason for this unhappiness? And the reasons they bring up are like social status, financial status or not compatible enough,I think we are always ready to blame the other person no matter what, My advice is a person should be a human first before getting married or having children because if you cannot understand your partner well or understand that he or she’s tired too or not happy, and you cannot always have hopes that your partner will be like your parents, it’s not possible at all. Both men and women should know that this should be sharing and caring and understanding is a must.And I think when parents bring up sons, do not differentiate sons and daughters, give equal care for both.There are some mothers, who make big issue if they see their sons are doing household work but it’s fine if the son had to do all the chores if he’s abroad.That’s the mindset of our people but in real the son is happy to help the wife, and now it’s become a trend to see husbands are helping wives at home.And also when parent bring up a son always make sure that he’s not causing any trouble or demotivating the woman’s mental peace, the husband should know that you get married to a woman not to have sexual pleasure or to get done personal stuff. So in my opinion, I have never seen any other radical man than Lord Buddha because every man who considers himself as radical expects these qualities from a woman.Being radical is a way of thinking, so if you consider yourself to be radical then you should have the humanity to see the other person’s worries as well. The world has changed with their thought process. Just imagine the stress level of a woman who’s taking care of a baby from morning to evening. It’s very hard and it’s normal for a woman to get annoyed at certain times.We need to understand the situation rather than creating misunderstandings.So if you can’t understand the humanity, it’s better not to get married.

19.Why aren’ you getting married –  I have already decided that I’m not getting married because as someone who’s following the teachings of Lord Buddha, I’m trying so hard to get rid of these bonds of this lifetime. If my parents want to see the grandchildren, they have already seen them through my sister and that’s enough.

20.Weren’t you ever in relationships ever – No I had two serious relationships and had hopes to get married too but first person had his promise with me to get married but could not take the decision clearly whether to get married or not to me,that time I was disappointed with the idea of marriage,but when ever I get these outburst of my life, I’m starting to concentrate on my career and gather my strength to it,sometimes my career might be my soulmate. The second person wanted me to leave my profession and that was not possible at all because I’m not a woman who’s leaving my career for a marriage.Normally seeing your daughter not getting married is hard to see for parents,so it took some time for me to make them understand the reason why I don’t want to get married and it’s normal for parents to be afraid when a daughter is not married but I explained them that I’m capable of living alone and financially independent too to live. If a person is destined to be alone, you cannot change it. And I’m ready and I have already imagined my old age in a wheelchair at an elders’ home, so if I focus on that now,I know that I’m safe,I don’t know what will happen in the future but I have planned it for myself as far as I can, so, now my parents have that assurance on me and they know the path I’m trying to find, and I’m also transforming myself to that strong woman and I’m sure that I’ll be changed in few years.

21.These days most presenters get criticized for speaking more than the guests or not paying much attention to the guests’ content. How do you see this – Yes, I see that quite often and I think it happens when the presenters do not have the correct idea about the guest before starting the program. Coming and presenting in front of the television is not enough for a TV presenter,listening is a huge part of that career. No matter how much we speak, if there is nothing to get and I always think not to do presenting to be famous, do this as a profession.

22.To conclude the conversation, I’d like to know when doing Rasa Risi Gee, there were rumors that Narada and you were dating and married, so how was it back then when you heard the rumors–  Even now, people are asking where Narada is,and I can remember during Narada’s wife’s having her first baby, the doctors have asked about me, and it was the same at that time too, we’ve heard it so many times but we are good friends and our families too.