Look at the similarities and the uniqueness
It was a chance encounter that brought Jiratha Narapittayanart to the shores of Sri Lanka. She was asked to accompany Ven. Bhikkuni Dhammananda Thera (Dr. Chatsuman Kabilsingh) on her quest to complete her book on Sri Lanka in celebration of 260 years of Syamavamsa.
Jiratha’s task was to record the various sites with her photography. She thoroughly enjoyed her visit travelling to several historic places of religious worship. The Ayutthaya inspired architecture and paintings she captured on camera were imprinted in her mind.
Jiratha Narapittayanart
Back in Thailand, while going through her Sri Lankan collection she noticed several similarities between those images and her Thai photographs. Thus was born the concept behind her exhibition last week at the Harold Peiris Gallery- “Two Nations One Family” focusing on the long-standing friendship between Thailand and Sri Lanka with religion as its core. The exhibition organised by the Royal Thai Embassy of Colombo commemorated the 260th anniversary of the establishment of the Siam Nikaya and celebrated the close bond the two countries share under Theravada Buddhism.
Speaking at the opening of the exhibition, the Thai Ambassador to Sri Lanka Poldej Worachat explained the essence of what the exhibition hoped to depict- “As humans we have the same feelings in our hearts. We all want to feel happy, to feel peace and to be loved”.
Jiratha has had the honour of working with the Thai Royal family on many occasions. She was one of 60 photographers chosen to cover the 60th anniversary celebrations of King Bhumibol Adulyade’s rule and the only woman to be selected among eight photographers for a book project, titled, “We Love Our King.”
Working with the Royal Family was a great honour and a true privilege, she said. “I had a very good teacher, my teacher was already a photographer who worked for the Queen, and I was guided step by step.”
Jiratha never studied photography as a subject at any point in her life, but says she was always very passionate about it.
In this collection, she says it was the many similarities between her country and Sri Lanka that she enjoyed exploring. “I am only a photographer. I take pictures of what is before me. I’m very happy that I got the chance to showcase the relationship Sri Lanka and Thailand had for a long time before me.”
Professor J.B Disanayaka, former ambassador to Thailand, who was present at the opening ceremony said it was evident that Jiratha had done justice to the beauty of Sri Lanka and captured the striking similarities to Thailand in the aspect of religious worship.
Pointing at a picture of a smiling Thai girl holding lotuses, comparing it to the picture alongside of an elderly Sri Lankan woman he said, “The attitudes, sentiments and feelings are the same, it’s only that age and their loc-ations are different.”
The exhibition is a wonderful expression of a connection that goes back to the time of our kings, he added.
Looking at a photograph of a Sri-Lankan styled temple in Ayuthaya, he said it also shows the Sri Lankan influence in Thailand. Another guest from the Indonesian Embassy, Andini Fitriliah was of the opinion that the exhibition shows a connection between the two countries that has existed in the past and continues to exist. She said that she was amazed by how a simple black and white picture of a tree and temple in one part of the world can bear so much resemblance to another tree and temple elsewhere.
Jiratha with her knack for capturing the likeness between the two countries has also preserved the identity of the two without compromising their uniqueness. The exhibition held from September 6-10,will soon be followed by an exhibition in Thailand.
