On Paper

There is paper

plain and neat

off white and colored

hard and rough

folded into halves , some into quarters

some scribbled and torn,

crushed,

taped with celotape,

paper clipped,

blotted by tear,

forgotten notes 

and flipped pieces,

some blank lines 

and some half erased 

covered in dust 

and dirtied,

some dated, 

over dated

and some without dates.

And then,

there are these papers

like paper -made hearts

thin and soft

feeble and delicate.

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Colombo North AIESEC in action at 'Zephyr'*

Two days ago a friend disclosed his thoughts this way. 

“There’s nothing like tripping, especially to travel in air. You get all the comforts. Airhosts and hostesses are there to help you with adjusting seats to sleep. When they see you with a coat, they’ll help you removing them. I like that. Juice after juice coming to you. Even the food and water. Friendly welcomes and byes. What more do you need! There is no apple juice or a single damn thing where I work. I’m sometimes offered a plain tea. That is not enough for the day. You’ll see rodents running around the canteen. Sadly, I prefer airplanes.”

 May be for the same reason we like airplanes a lot.

When I was on an internship in Thailand (that was somewhat recent), I had a fine, long conversation with the President of AIESEC in Bangkok University. Vipcream Thanapinachchi, in short he is called Vip, was the President there. He exclaimed that he needs to visit Sri Lanka. He had just seen the country on TV and books. Vip is a rich traveler. Not because he has enough money to travel. But AIESEC has given him the chance to see the world.

There’s a lot to see and learn outside one’s comfort zone, he says.

Pic by Dharana Korale Arachchi

Travelling doesn’t really mean the time you spend inside a flight. Or the things you see once you get down. It’s a way of having new eyes. Sometimes these new eyes just could be a camera. Why do you go away?  So that you come back with a camera. You can see the same place with new eyes and maybe with some extra colors. Sometimes you just don’t need a ticket and a flight to cross another country. A photo will do that. And you’ll see people differently. Different from you. This is why a camera can be mighty. They will even help you bring down memories long gone.

People seldom value things that are at their hand’s reach. I’ve heard many say ‘langa thiyena deta agayak na’ (what is closer to you has no value). And maybe this is why those who come down to other countries passing miles don’t want to miss anything. They’ll have the things they’ve seen and the people they’ve met collected and saved in cameras. Or photo framed.

Recently, a few interns who came to Sri Lanka to work with the AIESEC in University of Kelaniya went back home with memories of one month, carefully captured and photo framed. Every year the Colombo North AIESEC team of University of Kelaniya facilitates a project titled “Explore Sri Lanka” to promote tourism in Sri Lanka in various aspects. This country is a paradise to many a globe trotter and thus fell upon it. There is a great deal of culture and traditional beauty to explore. Even 30 years of war has not taken its beauty away. Its salubrious hills stand the same. This is why I was told that nine interns came all the way to Sri Lanka, to explore its vibrant beauty this time.

AIESEC in University of Kelaniya puts a lot of effort throughout the year to bring down foreign interns to Sri Lanka and work along with them in different platforms. Starting from English education to the grass root level in Sri Lanka, they are committed to health awareness, tobacco and drug reduction, women empowerment, to improve social media and communication, develop technical and digital skills like photography and filming and even environmental and energy conservation. Of all, they create opportunities to undergraduates and recent graduates in Sri Lanka to engage in paid jobs and volunteer programs overseas.

‘Zephyr’ that goes in line with the project ‘Explore Sri Lanka’  is an opportunity created by them for the foreign undergraduates visiting Sri Lanka.‘Zephyr’ targets capturing unpopular yet attractive locations of the country to promote among foreign tourists. A selection of best photos that illustrates the rural life and richness seen in local resources based productivity is exhibited afterwards. This program initiates several trips around the country enabling the interns to do their own photography.

‘Zephyr 2014’ was successfully organized by AIESEC Colombo North committee bringing diverse cultures together under one roof. The event was held on September 7 at Arcade Independence Square from 4.00pm onwards. The exhibition showcased photos captured by a few foreign university undergraduates from Russia, Germany, Poland, Taiwan, Czech Republic, Australia and Switzerland. This was held as the concluding phase of the project “Explore Sri Lanka’ run by the iGCDP function (International Global Community Development Program) of Colombo North AIESEC. The project in whole was led by Hishan Jeewantha, an undergraduate of University of Kelaniya with seven others in his team.

Colonel Rohan Weththasinghe, the Chairperson to Urban Development Authority was the chief guest of the day.Nikon (Bongo) was the event sustainable partner while Canon was the official printing partner for the day. Sirasa TV joined Zephyr 2014 as the official electronic media partner. The event went on until 11 in night bringing huge crowds to witness the inconspicuous charm and beauty of this country captured by lens whilst celebrating the fingertip work of young interns.

Because to see more you got to remember more. And to remember more you got to see more. Zephyr 2014 just proved it.

(Featured in"The Nation" newspaper on 21st September 2014)

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Through the eyes of Ronin *

He was found on Facebook a year or two ago. There were photos all over his timeline. There was eye and heart connected in blues, red, black and many more. He imprints hearts on paper and sheet. Some are stored in his computer. Some needed to be backed up. Some are to be photo-shopped. They should be carefully balanced in color and scale. We never would have thought that a photographer has this much of work to do. They are busy just like any other hard-worker. Busy collecting faces, places and stories that have happened. And this is why photographs are expensive. They bring back times that cannot happen again. They will show how you looked like a kid, now when you are grown up.

“These memories come with quality where a lot of effort has been put. Therefore it is worth the price,” Ushan said.

Some things are yet to happen. People are yet to meet. And hearts are waiting to be stitched in colors of all sorts. He is waiting to capture exciting things. He fixes a pocket full of souls in rectangles, triangles or whatever. And in absence, he thinks that people peer through them and tell stories.

That’s what he does, in the day and night. A photographer by nature turned into a profession, let’s say. Apart from this JOB he reads a lot, draws and paints and is an ardent gamer.

Ushan Gunasekara was educated in Colombo South International School. He is currently reading his bachelor’s in business and IT at the Institute of Information Technology. He has been photo stocked by his late father 20 years ago. It may be the only possible thing that rekindles the love between Ushan and him. Having flown around Europe for four years or more, his father probably knew the ways of freezing eyes and then to unfreeze moments through a lens. Blood works. It did work for Ushan too. Today, Ushan is taking up his father’s passion, who left the world when Ushan was 14 years of age. He is a happy father. Certainly. Where-ever he is.

Academy of Design is where everything begins for Ushan. He had been called out by a dear friend to take some portraits. Perhaps he had a ‘thing’ for people. He knew the heart and smile. He was encouraged to take more photographs. Ushan hasn’t had a camera by that time. For eight months, he was using his friend, Buwaneka’s camera to do photo shoots.

‘Buwaneka is the greatest mentor of all. The one who has helped me both formally and informally about everything in photography,’ Ushan interjected. He further added that his  mother had been a silent force behind everything , the one who inspired to follow his father's footsteps. 'She had a lot of burden to bear ,taking care of me and my sister . So I took matters mostly into my hand because she wont be troubled then', Ushan told.

Having started with fashion portraits, Ushan moves to conceptual photography capturing the most basic things around him. And then gradually starts working on wedding shoots. Of all, he likes to thank Dylan , Tai, Adrian and Buwaneka who took him all the way from hotels to streets, knocked out guts and corridors of buildings teaching the has to be done things and what should not be done. And now from everything else he likes street photography. At the moment Ushan works for ReadMe as a part time photographer, but more likely a full timer covering all events happening in Colombo and suburbs.

“There is a story behind every face and every emotion expressed,” he says. Ushan earnestly believes that gears are just a marketing gimmick. Sometimes phones might carry better pictures than a sophisticated camera. What matters is the story it carries. All you need are eyes with craftsmanship to read others and good hands. A DSLR won’t make one an immediate photographer.

He reminded of the days how he used to collect money to buy a camera. Almost everyday he had to forgo his lunch to save 200 or 300 bucks for the camera.

And then, on a rain-threatening evening, Ronin brings a sealed box and starts flipping his shutters everywhere possible. Ushan starts his portfolio titled ‘Ronin Photography’. Ronin is a Samurai with no master. Ushan has no master. Nor does he follow anyone. He has his own way of doing things. He does wedding shoots by his own .Covers almost every fashion show around Colombo. Ushan was recently hired by Dylan, one of the most wanted photographers in Colombo to cover Miss China which was held in several hotels island-wide, sponsored by Cinnamon Tours.

Ronin has come a long way. Ushan is learning about lens and zoom , and the color and pitch  has brought salience in his work, caressed hearts, blessed and teared too. He wants to do a photo journal soon after he completes his studies and do some photography that involves travel beyond Sri Lanka.

( Featured in "The Nation" newspaper on 21st September 2014 with a few edits )

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On bags , Fondly

There are countries that wait for us to come and learn things.

 In December 2008, I landed at the Male Airport (Maldives). It was a family visit. Another two uncles joined us. One of them is already living in Maldives. He had already prepared a part of his apartment for us to stay. His apartment was away in another island. We had to take a boat to cross the sea to get there. It was nearly an hour’s journey. All got off. There were two controller officers at the jetty. One was already dozing off. May be he was tired after a long day’s work. It was 2’o clock in the morning. The jetty was crowded with many other passengers, mostly foreigners, who have just landed on the Maldives. Like us. I was called by one of the officers to check the passport before entering the island. The bags were heavy to carry. I left them and walked up to the counter.

Passport verified. I came back. The luggage was there. But the bag I wore on my shoulders was gone. 

That bag was a gift from Australia. It was an expensive one, I know. To lose a Sony digital camera, a pair of expensive shoes and a few clothes will give others a mini-heart attack .That’s natural. People always worry about lost things. Especially expensive things.  Never mind. There were a few clothes left in the other luggage. That was enough for me. I was happy. I didn’t bother  informing the counters about this even when others wanted to. The one who took it away wouldn’t have known what was inside the bag. May be my bag was the lightest of all bags that were there. May be he was badly in need of a bag. May be bags were too expensive for him to afford. When he learns about the digital camera and the shoes, he will keep them for himself or sell them for money. Leave the clothes away. The bag won’t come back.

It took me all the way to Maldives to realize that bags are expensive. And that bags become an essential part in life, to carry things from one place to another. Bags come in different shapes. They come in different prices. The one who has a greater need for a bag will mind anything. Whether it is big, small, cheap or expensive doesn’t matter as long as the bag does what it is supposed to be doing.

Six years have passed.  I was reminded of bags again when Mr. Nawaz, a wonderful teacher and a college comrade lost his bag last Friday. He told me the bag was from Korea and it had a laptop which was bought in Dubai. He had not known they were gone until he started reading the brief of a case two days after, which he was supposed to take up the next morning at the Commercial High Courts. This is what he told me.

Pic source: Internet

‘I knew it was completely gone. Who would think of giving back a laptop. But I thought I should get it back if the money I spent on them were legally earned.  Above everything I had a good sleep. I didn’t make a fuss about losing it. We shouldn’t worry about losing little things like bags and laptops. We never know what else is left for us to lose. The interesting thing is there are people not worth losing unlike bags. We don’t want them to go away. I don’t know when we will learn to let go people. ‘

Like everything else, we lose bags. Bags get dirty. Bags tear. Bags break. Bags get misplaced, and found again. Sometimes not.

Some Sundays are cleaning days. On such a rare cleaning day, I found a few big luggage, and bags left inside a room. They were covered in dust. But looked almost perfect. I took one by one out. Opened them. There was nothing left for me to see. Just did it while dusting them off. There was one black bag which had so many labels on it. Some were hotel check ins and others were flight check ins and departure labels. Dates were still visible. They reminded me of nights spent in hotels. Things I saw. The people I met and what happened.

 Bags have a past. They tell how things were. They also have a future. We pick up bags; carry them everywhere we go. They are rich travelers. Bags help us carry everything. Everything that is too heavy sometimes. Like all burdens and problems that we cannot get rid of. And still we ignore them. Beggars carry bags. At least a shopping bag. Bags are safe to keep their possessions. Because, they have no home. 

Sometimes I think, bags are great.

(Featured in "The Nation" newspaper on the 13th September 2014)

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To June's sky

Let June's sky

drop all color and thought

laughter and thorn,

petaled hearts

and angry monsters

stray kites and lost planes

bird stories and destinations

cotton work-

so tender like baby's breath

water wave 

and noon tide.

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Stillness has its many dimensions

Like water that lay awake in long nights

undisrupted and unadulterated;

The sun tucked in sea wave-

bent down and rooted

waiting to be kissed 

and caressed in sea spray,

Like the moon that is stock still

when you and I stand still ,

Stupor and fear 

marked by cold and stiffness,

Rapid pulse and shock 

in thrill and urge,

Like statues , frozen muscles ,

earthed wires and everything else

dormant and static ,

Like meditation at ease 

in thought and tranquil, 

Stillness has its many dimensions.

(Inspired by Tharindu Amunugama's photography)

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Every secret has a color

He was a fool. He threw a precious pearl with his own hands. He loved too much. He then cried a lot. Write all this. I wish Desdemona knew how much Othello loved her. And if Othello knew Iago was poisonous, a monstrous beast, an articulate word master and so on. Well, it was too late when all secrets revealed.  

Pip was a coward. Dickens says it. Pip didn’t won’t to tell Joe that he stole bread, thinking that Joe will stop loving him.  Joe is the only who loved him. Pip loved him too. That was default. They were ‘given’ to each other. It was a secret kept to keep their love going. Even little things matter .Sometimes we hide things from people we love the most. Because we are too scared to lose them or else we fear that too much of expression can make the other take us for granted. We think curiosity is better then.

School vacations were often spent at my mother’s ancestral home in Ratnapura. There is a set of big ayyas whom I fondly remember. They were in their teens when I was only only 7 or 8 .I grew out of fear . I loved risky business then. Once I got thrown in to a muddy pond while riding a  bicycle   ,which was deep enough for me because I wasn’t tall enough . Two of these big boys rescued me. Took me  to their home , got me washed and dressed again. The story was unknown  until recent times.  Aththamma didn’t like me playing with them . She often claimed that they are big boys and little girls have no business with big boys. Play and wounds were secrets all the time. Aiyas knew well to keep secrets. I grew up with the fact that women are gossipy .

I am remembered of Upali and Jinna in Madol Doova . The two boys assure Balappu that they would keep his presence a secret, thus reflecting clearly, how the two of them could keep to their word. Balappu unfolds the secret of the 'Floating Flame' to scare away the villagers. The strange man Balappu, tells Upali and Jinna mysterious tales about Madol Doova and how people are scared to step into the haunted place. These misadventures and secrets fascinated me.

Time clocks and I learned that secrets play a big part in lives. Secrets can divide people. They deter new relationships. And they freeze induviduals too. From government conspiracies to men and women  having affairs  , they exist in every level in society. Secrets are a human desire to heal and connect , I think. Juicy bits should be shared with people who can be trusted and with those who have the same sentiments or same mindset as you do. We live in a society where certain human events are considered shameful. Man is not for the law. Naturally they break the law. They will go against the society’s norms. And broken laws will be always kept as secrets.  But with the right people.

You know, walls can hear. I don’t know what kind of antennaes they’ve got. And I tend to think this is why walls are witnesses to what we do. But that sounds scary. I wonder if walls carry secrets like cables and microchips do. there are things we like to keep for ourselves. There are places we don’t want to stray into or things to keep cornered safely. So let secrets be there. Let the walls hear. But not to be carried them away to another.

The pavement stone and kicked –out guts bear witness to our feet , heart and everything . Of all things like connections, divergences, love giving, love taking, longing , hurt, wound and even a kiss in oblivion. At some point, all these unheard and unseen stories will dissolve into one like dust particle and get thrown away into sky. Disappear in clouds. Only sun and moon will know them. Secrets will be safe with sun and moon. Let’s think.

Every secret has a color. Not just black or white. They are of all colors. Because different secrets carry different ingredients.

Shhh! be careful not to mix up  colors.

(Featured in "The Nation" newspaper on 24th August 2014)

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No sunset for sunsets

Pic courtesy -www.flikr.com

We like to watch sunset. I don’t know why we are drawn to it. Like fireflies to fluorescent bulbs. May be we are too fascinated to see the gradual fall of the sun. To see how it ends. I’ve heard that humans are the only ones who think about their demise. But we are not the only creatures who are prone to destruction or death. How about the fireflies, moths and seagulls? Don’t they think of death? As they move to the edge, they may get trapped in a bundle roll of grass or a huge tree and knock down. They will die.

I walked down the fort up to the sandy beach. There was sun gleaming in hot red, right up the dead-end of sea water. It’s not the dead-end. I know. It’s just an illusion we‘ve got into our heads. There is water running miles and miles away. I wonder if anyone could count how far the sea spreads. The sun bent to kiss his own reflection in the water. In doing so he dies. Again and again.

One should watch the sunset. “As the sun goes down into water, you will see a green flash. If you make a wish when you see the green flash, the wish will come true,” a man living by the coast yelled at me. I looked for the green flash with a wish inside me. It was difficult though. I didn’t see the green flash. All I saw was orange and yellow patches surrounded by a red ball. It would have worked if I just kept wishing .You realize the moment you don’t see it, that all this time you have been looking for a flash. Nothing else.

The sun touches the water. And gradually sinks. It gets blown away like a candle fire that disappears to the night wind. It signals that we have to stop for today and get ready for tomorrow. But I wonder if it’s the same sun that appears next day, with the exact colors and dimensions. To brighten the day with light, to give us the necessary heat and go back in twilight is sun’s duty. We have our duties too. Starting from home to office, dishing, cleaning and then to manage files, ledgers and payrolls. But there was a time that none of us wished the sun will come back again. We were lost with last words. Thirty years of horror and terror, uncertain and unexpected peace and conspiracies that nobody knew made nights even darker than this. Even the sea seemed troubled, disturbed, slapping hard on the shore and hitting cliffs making rough noises. To make wishes looking at a sea was risky business then. Unpredictability had lot to do with our minds.

Sunsets have taught me that there is both hope and terror awaiting us. We’ve been told that twilight is the best time for treasons, stratagems and spoils. So we’ve got to be careful.  But there is hope for prosperity. A wish for a new day, with new plans and thoughts. Still, there is uncertainty that walks in between. There could be a day that the sun may get blown away by a gale and will not return. We will be in darkness forever. Like those people who run to us stray inside hearts for a while and go back. Some may come again. Some might not.

 This is what sun does to us. It kisses us and in the meantime pinches us too.

( Featured in "The Nation" newspaper on August 17th  2014)

http://www.nation.lk/edition/free/item/32279-no-sunset-for-sunsets.html#sthash.riSMmwcS.dpuf

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