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'With the
dawn' - yet another absorbing collection
By Dee Cee
Seated on a couch with a 'bastama'
by the side, "elder statesman" Nihal Fernando,
in his usual observant way, was watching everyone admiring
and appreciating the work of Studio Times. After enjoying
the exhibits, everyone walked up to him to say "wonderful".
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| Nihal (centre) with some invitees
at the opening ceremony |
A man of few words, Nihal always prefers
to listen to what others say. When he does talk, his
words are full of meaning. He is a keen observer, his
photographs being the best testimony.
Studio Times exhibitions have always
been a rare treat.
The quality has been of the highest
standard, the subject matter most topical and meaningful.
This time was no different. 'With
the dawn' was the theme but it was not restricted to
the pictures that the book by the same title released
early this year carried.
Nihal's daughter Anu and the others
had been travelling around capturing interesting images
of people, places and nature. The collection included
a glimpse of the aftermath of the tsunami as well.
Just as much as the pictures were
exquisite, the write-ups were equally interesting and
educative.
Some of the old quotes were fascinating.
As for the pictures, one could hardly decide which one
was better than the other. I particularly liked the
water lily, the 'bo' leaves and the 'na' leaves.
It was nice to see virtually everyone
who had been invited turning up for the opening of the
exhibition at the Harold Peiris Gallery. It turned out
to be a gathering of old friends. As one time colleague
Manik de Silva remarked, it was the best crowd seen
at an opening of an exhibition.
Seeing old faces, I remembered the
days in the late 1960s when, after closing page one
of the early edition of the Observer, a few of us including
Manik, used to go for string hoppers and 'pol sambol'
to the YMBA canteen in Fort.
We used to meet Nihal and Pat (Decker)
there and after breakfast, we invariably dropped in
at Studio Times (then in the Times building) to have
a chat. They were early birds clocking in by 7 in the
morning and starting work.
That evening Nihal looked happy and
contented. While his own work still stands out for its
outstanding quality, he should be satisfied he has built
up an equally capable team.
As Charlie Gunawardena describes in
his 'Encyclopaedia of Sri Lanka', Nihal is the "leading
photographer whose feeling for the natural beauty of
the island has accompanied a passionate concern for
its environmental integrity."
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