ith a rich vocabulary, well-modulated tones, an amiable demeanour coupled with a solid physique – and, of course, considered smart by the opposite sex – Chevaan Daniel, who turns 27 in May, confesses that he had no intention of getting into the media field.
“My academic focus was always business, and I never even took part in media-related activities at school. A friend of mine, Asif Ansar, who worked at Yes FM, asked me to try out as a part-time radio newscaster. Since I was an undergraduate, I jumped at the opportunity to work part-time, and things just happened from that point onwards,” he recalls.
Enjoying the experience of ‘going live’, Daniel says: “It’s such a rush of adrenaline – knowing that you are being watched by so many people. News to me is intense and even passionate. I try my best to speak to people’s hearts as well as their minds.”
Currently working at Slimline as a Senior Executive, Marketing and Operations, Daniel says light-heartedly: “I work with 3,500 girls and a million bras and panties… tough job, but someone’s got to do it!”
On a more serious note, he opines that his main ambition in life was to gain the best international corporate experience – and start at the shop floor, in doing so – leading him to join Slimline, a company he admired.
Daniel had the good fortune of growing up in a rather unique family background.
“My dad, Ranjan, is from the north, while my mum, Josephine, is from the south – so I had the best of both worlds. My mum stayed at home to look after my sister Anoushka and me, which must have been quite a task! Some of my earliest fond memories are the times spent with my grandparents. My granddad was a musician and I spent most of my time hanging around their house, generally making a nuisance of myself! I was a rebellious kid growing up. But being blessed with two wonderful parents and a great sister negated my natural tendency to rebel against everything,” he reminisces.
Very close to his sibling – who is four years younger and quite the opposite of the effervescence and spontaneity that makes up his personality – Daniel discloses that he was “just another kid at school”, not really excelling in anything, but participating in every possible extra-curricular activity on offer.
“I was in a very competitive batch, chock-full of great students and star athletes, making life pretty tough for an average kid. But I strongly believe this made me strive towards clear professional and academic goals, forcing me to be competitive,” he affirms.

NEW VENTURES

Emerging from the University of Singapore with a degree in economics, he also played university rugby, being appointed vice-captain in his final year.
Daniel strove for financial independence, birthing the Internet start-up called ‘eezee2.com’ with a friend, Harinda de Silva, which venture turned out to be quite popular and gave the duo something to do in addition to their studies.
At the same time, he began his news career and joined the Media Department of the then Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL).
Naming the day the MTV studios were gutted by fire as being the most challenging time in the newsroom, and having to make do in a makeshift studio sans the usual hi-tech equipment, Daniel says it was heart-rending to know that something you love was no more. “But I had to convey resilience on air and let our viewers know that we would bounce back – bigger and better,” he says.
Joining Slimline to pursue his corporate career, Daniel says he receives what he likes to call his ‘life training’ from the company’s CEO, Dian Gomes. “To go from the glitz and glamour of media to the rural hamlet of Pannala was quite a change. The ‘boot-camp training’ I received gave me a fresh perspective of life – and the most valuable lesson of all: humility,” he adds. Daniel credits his television career to R. Rajamahendran, the Managing Director of the Maharaja Organisation, recalling that when he made his debut as a gawky 20-year-old, it was Rajamahendran who encouraged the innovativeness that is Daniel’s trademark today.

PEOPLE WITH POTENTIAL

Daniel admired late television personality Ravi John, who he says was not just a newsreader but also had personality and charisma, and his early demise meant that Sri Lanka was denied greater things from him.
“As for young people with potential, I enjoy watching my colleague Ashan Dias, who has developed his own unique style, as also listening to Shanaka Amarasinghe’s meanderings on radio. It would be refreshing to see more young people reading news on television, because I believe an industry is only as good as the people who work in it, and that’s the reason TV needs good young presenters,” he adds.
Daniel, who takes his newscasting responsibilities seriously, says: “People do expect you to be well-informed and well-mannered in general. I really don’t think there’s a lot of fame associated with newscasting; but if there is, it needs to be managed. It only takes a little mistake to turn fame into shame, so being consistent on TV is the name of the game,” he opines.
Enjoying a bit of scuba diving, sparring in the gym and a good game of rugby or soccer, Daniel refuses to be one-dimensional in anything he does.
Juggling late nights – between commitments at work and newsreading on television, hosting ‘The Score’ on Yes FM, and being a partner of Tidewater Publications, the publisher of lifestyle magazine, Urban Brown – Daniel says he will continue reading news for as long as he enjoys it – and that if he gets the opportunity, he would like to use his cross-industry training to infuse better practices in media.
“There are many lessons the two industries can learn from each other,” he says. “The electronic media industry in Sri Lanka is torn between two poles. One is the incredible world of international entertainment, and the other is the diverse and unique taste of the Sri Lankan audience. Hence, you find many media companies operating channels that focus on either one or the other. While all of us should have access to world-class entertainment, it is important to remember that we have a deeply rooted culture, which is probably the only thing we can call our own. The media must make every effort to enhance and not deface it. A healthy mixture of experience and youthful exuberance is needed for the electronic media to thrive in this country. The experienced hands have a responsibility to teach young entrants the ropes of the industry and encourage them to be creative and take ownership. If you are a young person just getting into media, you must be willing to weather the storm and stick to your guns. There is no industry that’s easy to make a mark in, and media is no different,” he asserts.
Daniel, however, has very clear professional goals, which he strives determinedly towards with a clear and sharp focus. But while he pursues those goals, a short-term plan – his poetic inclinations and a singles album – may see the light of day soon.
“My musical ability is limited to singing and I have recorded a few songs which need to be worked on. I started writing poetry in 1997 and continue to do so whenever I feel like it. I would love to publish some of these poems soon,” he discloses.

ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL

Having experienced the joys and heartaches of having a special person in his life, Daniel is quick to point out that he enjoys and appreciates all things beautiful, and says: “My ideal lady has to be intelligent and ambitious as well. I also believe that compromise and trust are most important in a relationship, and if you cannot build trust, you will go nowhere. I don’t get too excited by any attention, so I just treat it as a part of life. There are plenty of movie stars and cricketing heroes out there to keep the ladies occupied, so my female following is fairly sparse! I’m not a ladies’ man – and don’t try to be one!”