A man of few words, he excelled with his lens

Saturday, 28 June 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Clad in a red long-sleeved shirt worn over his trousers, he is seated on a couch in a corner of the Harold Periis Gallery at the Lionel Wendt Art Centre with a ‘bastama’ by his side. He silently observes his friends and well-wishers going round admiring the photographs featuring the dawning of the dawn.

Nihal Fernando has given them yet another treat to open their eyes ‘With the dawn’. This was in September 2006. A book (same title) was launched with a superb collection of black and white photographs exhibited over three decades earlier in ‘Wild Life ‘73’. Having enjoyed yet another absorbing collection of Studio Times photographs, I wrote: “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.” Down memory lane Just as I vividly picture this setting, I recall the days when I first met Nihal F and his erstwhile colleague Pat Dekker in the mid-1960s. The duo manned Studio Times, premier studio at the time in the heart of Fort in the imposing Times of Ceylon building – one of the few ‘high rise’ structures of the day. (In fact, up to the time I got to know them I had thought that the outfit was part of the Times Newspaper group). Then I was heading the Observer news desk (the Observer was then a popular afternoon daily, like the Times). After putting the first edition ‘to bed’ by 7 in the morning Manik de Silva – the reporter with a keen eye for news, and chief sub-editor Clarence Perera (now domiciled in Melbourne) and myself made a beeline to the YMCA canteen in Fort for breakfast. Nihal and Pat were invariably there, being early birds themselves. We would get to Studio Times and chat leisurely before getting back to work on the late edition of the paper. Pat lights his pipe and does most of the talking. Nihal listens. So did we. Trips of yore My close association with Nihal and Pat began after I joined CTC to handle communications and PR. We used Studio Times exclusively for photographs for CTC publications. The Annual Report always carried a feature mainly on our activities in the tobacco growing areas in the hill country. I used to always accompany one of them on these trips. They too liked to go because we could enjoy the lush greenery in the upcountry, meet farmers from remote villages off Rikulligaskada or Teldeniya, stay at CTC circuit bungalows in remote places and have the company of field managers who were knowledgeable of these areas. Driving along the narrow roads, they would identify the numerous types of roads, spot a rare bird perches on a branch or delve into the history of ‘tavalam’ whenever we found the tobacco leaves bring brought on pack bulls to the CTC depots. Nature lover A lover of nature and environment, Nihal was so concerned with the destruction happening in recent years and lamented over it. At the Skelton Road office we would sit on the cane sofa and spend time discussing on what could be done. He was an active campaigner to protect the environment. His deep commitment towards the promotion of traditional agriculture made him publish ‘The Handbook for the Ceylon Farmer’ in 1965, first in English followed up with a Sinhala version ‘Govi Athpotha’. Devoted to “the island we love”, Nihal initiated ‘The Handbook for the Ceylon Traveller’ (1974), which to me, remains the most exhaustive, well-presented, simple-to-read travel guide for anyone wanting to see Sri Lanka. Gems of photography With ‘The Wild, The Free, The Beautiful’, Nihal gave exactly what we were waiting for. Having enjoyed the Studio Times exhibitions, we needed something to treasure. He followed up with four ‘well-polished gems of photography.’ He did ‘Sri Lanka: Immortal Isle’ with Luxmanan Nadaraja. Next was ‘Sri Lanka: A Personal Odyssey’. ‘Eloquence in Stone’ is “the amazing saga of a small people on a small island who are heirs to one of the oldest living cultures in the world who still speak the same language, practice the same religion and follow the same customs as their ancestors did more than 2,000 years ago”. The 475-page volume relates the story of their architecture, sculpture and painting in a classic publication. Literary skill Not much has been talked about Nihal’s literary skill. The introductions/prologues he wrote for his publications were well-thought-out and meaningful. In the foreword he wrote for ‘Applause at The Wendt,’ he described Lionel Wendt as a man of extraordinary strengths, an honest man and an educator and went on to elaborate on these qualities. Nihal has been Chairman of the Wendt Memorial Trust. The most senior citizen among Sri Lanka’s leading photographers, Nihal Fernando is a legend of our time. A master of his art, a lover of nature, a saviour of environment, a friend of the farmers and a man with a heart for our traditional art and culture.