Sriyan de Silva Wijeyeratne launches ‘Wild Clicks’

Friday, 9 May 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

A pictorial journey through the wilds of Sri Lanka to terrains of the world CEO of Textured Jersey Lanka PLC and former Head of Microsoft Sri Lanka Sriyan de Silva Wijeyeratne recently launched his maiden book ‘Wild Clicks’ – an anthology of extraordinary photographs of wildlife, spanning Sri Lanka to excursions across many other parts of the world. Over 350 guests attended the launch held at St. Peter’s College Hall, with several friends, photography experts and wildlife enthusiasts amongst the audience.

Anandalal Nanayakkara, an Attorney-at-Law who studies Sri Lanka’s fauna and Herpeofauna and is also a former member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law, spoke at the launch, highlighting the changing global landscape when it came to environmental legislation and the different trends that are emerging. Rev. Father Mervyn Fernando, founder of Subodhi Institute and author of three nature books on Sri Lanka, spoke about the connection humanity has with nature, and mankind’s ability to simply enjoy the sense of wonder of its natural beauty, both of which are artfully captured in Sriyan’s book. Shanik de Silva, son of Nihal de Silva and Sriyan’s close friend, gave a special introduction to both the book and Sriyan from his personal perspective. Sharing his passion

Sriyan addressing the gathering said that his goal in publishing ‘Wild Clicks’ was a simple expression of his art and his need to share his passion for the wilds with likeminded people. He said that he hoped it would encourage more people to publish their work. Rather than seeing his busy work schedule as something which prevented him from getting out and spending time with nature, Sriyan said he found that nature had a soothing impact on him, which helped him to shed work stress and go back rejuvenated to his business routine. Sriyan presented the first copy of his book to his uncle Carl, who first influenced him to take an interest in the natural world. He also paid a tribute to the late Nihal de Silva, by presenting a copy of ‘Wild Clicks’ to his wife Shirleen. The book is dedicated to his uncle Carl Fernando and the late Nihal who were both inspirational in Sriyan’s passion for nature. Sriyan thanked the many people who helped him with the artwork, layout and printing of his book along with his family; wife Geraldine for her love and support and daughters Ashinsa and Rashmi who have also contributed photographs to the book. The book’s foreword is by experienced photographer Luxshmanan Nadaraja with written contributions by Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, Anandalal Nanayakkara, Rev. Fr. Mervyn Fernando and Dr. A.J. Roshan Perera. The title logo of the book was designed by Sriyan’s talented artist daughter Ashinsa.

‘Wild Clicks,’ which has had a great reception so far, is available at several leading bookstores in Colombo such as Vijitha Yapa and the Barefoot Gallery.