MELBOURNE, 22 November 2025: One of Melbourne’s fastest-growing South Asian organisation hosted a lively and intellectually stimulating program honouring Bandhu Dissanayake, former Sri Lankan Consul General, publisher of Pahana newspaper, and a long-time champion of community service.
Organised by the Australia South Asia Society (ASAS), the event recognised Dissanayake as the “South Asian of the Year 2025”, greeted with warm applause from the audience.
The award trophy was presented by Prof. Priyan Mendis from the University of Melbourne’s Department of Infrastructure Engineering, while Lee Tarlamis MP (South-Eastern Region) honoured Dissanayake with a ceremonial shawl.
The evening featured a vibrant cultural program and distinguished guest speakers. Dr Ranjana Srivastava — an oncologist, two-time Fulbright scholar, award-winning author, and columnist for The Guardian — shared her insights on “The Power of Writing to Inspire Social Change”. A recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia, Dr Srivastava recounted her journey from medicine to writing, offering practical advice on developing a writing practice rooted in personal experience and empathy.
Lee Tarlamis MP emphasised Victoria’s multicultural ethos and commended ASAS for its leadership in cultural exchange, particularly through performing and visual arts. “Our cultures share many similarities, and events like this strengthen those ties,” he said.
ASAS Vice-President Sunder delivered the welcome address, while President Dr Noel Nadesan and Gayathri reflected on Dissanayake’s enduring contributions to the community. The vote of thanks was proposed by Neeraj Nanda, Patron of ASAS.
The cultural segment featured dazzling performances, including classical Bharatanatyam dance by Prerona Sinha and Ranjana Ariyadasa; traditional drumming by Sangath Thamil Kalayakam; a lively Filipino dance sequence by Fe Gillies’ group; and a performance by Namali Perera. ‘Mrigandam; music by Abidharani Chandran, Monash University student, was appreciated.
Local authors showcased their books at a dedicated stall, while guests mingled over tea, coffee, and snacks during the networking session. The evening was smoothly compered by Chris Mallika Bhadra, who guided the proceedings with charm and efficiency.
The ASAS team including Secretary, Siddharth Maitrak and Vice-President Sunder ably managed the event with great efforts and networking.
