Her passion is waterfalls and has been since she was a little girl. Camera in hand she has overcome rough terrain and inclement weather to capture the magnificence of the country’s waterfalls and bring them to the focus of the public in two past exhibitions.
In her third photographic exhibition titled ‘Nature in Splendour 2011’ to be held next week in Kandy, Ronali Abeywickrema zooms her lens wider to take in not only her beloved waterfalls but also the different moods of the seascape.
“This year I have changed the focus of my photography to the oceanline as well and exhibit a large number of photographs of the southern coast of Sri Lanka and the eastern coast of Australia,” says Ronali.
Going back to her childhood, she recalls how her father, the late Dixon Abeywickrema, who was keen on photography himself gifted her a camera. It was a basic Kodak but stirred in her the enthusiasm to take after her father’s hobby.
“It was with this camera that I took many photographs of waterfalls and landscapes, some of which will be displayed at my exhibition,” says Ronali, admitting that photography has become her “most cherished hobby” as much as waterfall trekking. “I developed a fancy for waterfalls as a child when travelling from Badulla to Colombo by the Udarata Menike train after seeing beauties such as Algin and St.Claire’s.”
While exhibiting seven of the 10 highest waterfalls in her exhibition, she has also included “hardly known” ones which are off the beaten track. Ahas Bokku Falls in Baduraliya, Meddakanda Falls in Balangoda, Beruwatta Falls in Ratnapura and Nalagana Falls in Bulathkohupitiya are very beautiful, she points out, adding that among the landscapes on display will be Deniyaya, Haldumulla,Uva-Paranagama and Dumbara.
The main aim of my exhibition is to show how blessed our island is when it comes to the beauty of nature, which only a handful of us appreciate, she says, adding that she hopes to persuade people to stop and enjoy the splendour of nature.
Ronali who believes that God created the human race “to contribute our bit to this world” feels that it is our duty to conserve and protect waterfalls, lakes, rivers and mountains.
‘Nature in Splendour’ will be opened at 7.30 p.m. on December 15 and continue on December 16 from 9.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. at the D.S. Senanayake Children’s Library auditorium, Kotugodella Veediya, Kandy. |
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