As the purple heartbeats synchronized to the single rhythm of ‘fellowship’, the Annual General Meeting of the Official Media Unit of the Faculty of Science, University of Colombo, commenced with grace. On the 16th of July, 2022, all members of the purple timeline reunited on the virtual platform of Zoom, to celebrate the remarkable end of yet another spectacular year and to witness the dawn of a brand new one!
The AGM kicked off with the addressing of our outgoing vice president Sasanka Ayya who presented a warm welcome to all the purple family members who had joined on this memorable day marked annually on the FOS Media Calendar.
After a glorious year that deserves to be written in gold in the FOS Media history books, it was time to take a stroll down the proverbial memory lane, one that evocates beautiful moments of growth, learning, and experience for all the members throughout a challenging but gratifying year. Presenting the FOS Media Annual Review was Anujitha Akki, the outgoing secretary, along with Sacheera Ayya, the outgoing coordinator.
The review mentioned that the first major event the club organized was ‘Syndicate’, an inter-university media festival conducted in collaboration with the media clubs of the top state universities in the country, which provided a platform for undergraduates of these universities to diversify their skill set and explore the art of videography, photography, graphic designing, and animation, and journalism.
In the months that followed, FOS Media was able to reach many milestones and great heights. From live streaming significant events such as the iconic pageantry of Sri Lanka – the Esala Maha Perahera, the General Convocation of the University of Colombo, BeIconic Announcing Workshop which featured two well-known News reporters in Sri Lanka, to other university events such as the Fresher’s Orientation Programme. FOS Media also provided media coverage to university events such as “Shraddanjalee” organized by the Buddhist Society of the University, and “Seeharawa” organized by the Rotaract Club of the Faculty of Science.
Furthermore, the FOS Media Students’ Blog made quite a buzz the previous year with a plethora of blog article series being published ranging from thought-provoking works of poetry to in-depth accounts of scientific discoveries. A post series called ‘READATHON’ was published to appreciate the literary works of Sri Lankan authors while ‘REVELATIO’, a competition for FOS Media members, gave a platform for them to showcase their inborn talent for expression through writing.
To add more color to the blog, an article series was published to pay homage to the Olympic Games and to celebrate its rich history and the many awe-inspiring stories of Olympic athletes. To highlight critical scientific advancements throughout human history and to kindle interest in science in the minds of the readers, an article series was published titled ‘EXPLORARE’ written by our very own FOS Media members.
A significant milestone achieved during the year was the publishing of the 200th FOS Focus which was celebrated with style on campus premises by a few of the executive committee members and board of directors.
The coverage of events such as The Colours Awarding Ceremony, Annual Research Symposium, and Red Tie Day for the years 2021/2022 boasted the phenomenal photography skills of our members, publishing albums that radiated the bright smiles of unforgettable days. Throughout the past year, FOS Media succeeded to showcase and report best at first, through skilled expertise in photography, videography, live streaming, graphic designing, blogging, announcing, and reporting, each of which was coordinated by their respective departments.
After awakening countless memories through the intricate review of the past year of FOS Media, Amal Pattividana Sir, former instructor and visiting lecturer at the University of Colombo, made a remarkable appearance and enlightened all of us through stories of the early days of FOS Media. Without fail, he shared his experience of taking a cruise on his unforgettable purple journey. Next, adding color to the AGM through a melodious escape, was our outgoing technical head, Ashen Ayya, blessing all of our ears with a beautiful mashup. Feeling refreshed and lively after a musical twist, it was time to move on to witness our next guest speaker.
Muditha Bandara Sir, a former ITU instructor and Ph.D. holder at the Physics Department of the University of Colombo, and currently a Post Doctoral Fellow, shared his experience of being a part of the FOS Media Unit and left the audience with some valuable pieces of advice on the art of balancing academics with extracurricular work.
Next in line to speak a few words was Pubudu Nawarathna Sir, one of the former chief editors of FOS Media, as well as a former assistant lecturer at the Department of Plant Science, Faculty of Science, and currently a consultant at the Canadian Center for Computational Genomics, Canada, who addressed the gathering, reminiscing all about his FOS Media adventures, and encouraged each and every one of us to pen more science articles emphasizing the importance of ‘Science Weekly’ in the blog. He went on to highlight the importance of having performed extra-curricular activities along with good grades, as it would consider one to be special among the many who are simply academically qualified.
Next, another splendid leader and former chief editor at FOS Media, Gayath Weerasekara Sir was invited on stage, and without fail, he accentuated through his mere experience, how being a part of an organization like FOS Media, and contributing to its development through one’s genuine efforts can add value to their professional journey.
Next, encouraging all of us through his experience, was Mudith Ekanayaka Sir, a former chief editor, reporter, and a former demonstrator at the Department of Plant Science. Mudith Sir, being a humble personality that always shares his experience in order to guide others and an exemplary example for all of us, took this opportunity to recollect the indelible memories of his time at FOS Media while highlighting the tough hurdles they cleared in order to elevate the club towards betterment.
As Sir John Maxwell once mentioned, a good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than the share of credit, and FOS Media for the year 2021/2022 was led by such a great leader. This humble personality is none other than our outgoing president, Subash Ayya, who made the next appearance at the AGM, delivering his utmost gratitude to his team, and all the FOS Media Members of the purple timeline, for the dedicated efforts made towards the amelioration of the unit. From his tone of voice, it was obvious to everyone how proud he was of his fellow members, as he praised them for their hard work in making the year successful.
The purple hearts pumped blood with rising curiosity, as the impatient members waited eagerly for the announcement that was yet to rewrite the turning points in the history of FOS Media. The celebration of one end led to the beginning of another, as Subash Ayya introduced the newly appointed Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, and the Blog Editors for the year 2022/2023.
While the atmosphere flooded with warm wishes, Malintha Ayya, the President of FOS Media for the year 2020/2021 and unquestionably known to be an all-rounder in our University, was invited on stage and began by wishing the outgoing exco and board of directors a job well done and wholeheartedly congratulated the newly appointed members. He then encouraged the incoming team by highlighting the true leadership qualities one should develop and grow into, and reminded all of us never to forget our purple roots.
Another very important personality, Shanuka Amarasekara Sir, who worked as a former treasurer of the FOS Media Unit, addressed the gathering, sharing his experience and memories during the time.
At last, it was time for the newly appointed president’s speech. Perfect for the role, with leadership qualities and immense talents, president for the year 2022/2023, Deelaka Ayya, graced the Annual General Meeting with his charismatic words, thanking the past FOS Media ExCo, directors, and editors. As he congratulated the incoming team, he promised to carry the purple legacy forward with pride and dignity, along with the hope to bring many more novel creations in the future.
Brightening the Annual Gathering furthermore, were the words spoken by the President of the Leo Club of the Faculty of Science, Abilash, as he mentioned how as a fresher, being a part of FOS Media allowed him to develop leadership qualities and skills, and that Leo Club was looking forward to more partnerships with our Media Unit in the future, just like the many events that took place prior. Abilash’s speech was followed by that of the President of the Gavel Club of the University of Colombo, Susara Ayya, who emphasized how FOS Media once helped him develop his soft skills through many workshops like photography workshops, and that the Gavel Club is very grateful for FOS Media for being their Media Partner for events, and is looking forward for many more partnerships in the future.
Last but not least, Uditha Ayya, the coordinator of FOS Media for the year 2020/2021, spoke a few words, congratulating the new team, and admitting how glad he was about how the year had turned out.
With heartfelt congratulations, warm wishes, and countless memories recollected, the Annual General Meeting for the year 2022 of FOS Media concluded with a huge success.
As the newly appointed blog editors, we would like to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the immediate past editors, who were the big potency behind making us editors for the year 22/23. Also a huge thank you to the immediate past Board of Directors, along with the Executive Committee, for navigating the FOS Media family to the path of success throughout the year 21/22, as last year became an unforgettable one with their immense support and guidance. Also, we wish the best of luck to Deelaka Ayya and the newly appointed officials. And let’s meet at another Annual General Meeting, where we’ll be penning many more beautiful memories of yet another fruitful year.
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Featured Image: Designed by Lakindu Liyanapathirana