Category Archives: Discover

A9, Artists & Life, Oral History, People

‘I can’t remember my sister’s face’ – the story behind ‘Stranded’ by Sivasubramaniam Kajendran

Leave a comment

BY GAYA FERNANDO

Stories find you and not the other way around sometimes—Siva Kaja’s story just burst on me without warning. It was not a by-the-book introduction. He sent me a photo of his exhibition STRANDED on FB and I asked him to send me a write-up that I could share with my friends in Sri Lanka.

‘Call me and I will tell you the story behind my exhibition’, he said, and – little realizing that he would find it hard to convey the meaning in written English – I insisted that he write something first.
Continue reading ‘I can’t remember my sister’s face’ – the story behind ‘Stranded’ by Sivasubramaniam Kajendran →

Communities, Discover, Featured, Home callout, Story

A mother’s tribute to her community !

Leave a comment

 

Natalie Soysa: A Mother’s tribute to her CMB Community from iSrilankan on Vimeo

 

NATALIE SOYSA

 

I’ve often complained about everybody knowing everybody’s business in too-small Colombo.
Today, I’m ready to eat my words.
I am bringing up my son in what you would call a single-parent household.
But there’s never really been just a single parent in my home.
I thought the benefit of being a photographer meant that my son’s every moment would be frozen in time.
Juggling a camera and baby was not as as easy as it looked, but I still have so many pictures of him!
And its only because he’s always in someone’s arms!
So many different arms have come to spend time with him, play with him, dance with him, change him, bathe him and feed him.
My son doesn’t have a single parent, he has a village.
Its been a wonderful reminder that humans are essentially pack animals and not isolated family units.
My son is being community raised and he’s going to be all the better for it.
This is a tribute to all the arms that have held my son close, reminding him that he is loved.
This is a tribute to my community.

 

Words & Photographs – Natalie Soysa

 

Bio

385895_10152790145010323_24945472_n

Natalie Soysa in her own words : I am a freelance photographer and journalist based in Sri Lanka who quit a 13 year career in advertising in 2010 to pick up a camera and head off on what most would call a fool’s journey.

After a few photography & photojournalism projects that feature the post-war explosion of arts & culture in the country, this June, I will be taking over as new Manager-Arts at the British Council.

Most importantly – I’m an incurable Star Wars geek.

Visit Natalie’s about me page for more info.

 

 

 

Photo by Indu Bandara

 

 

 

A9, Encounter, Gaya's Blog

Ravi has one beautiful eye!

Leave a comment

GAYA FERNANDO

 

Journeys start with chance encounters and deliberate action; both are needed.  Nothing just happens and wherever there are dire survival needs there is also an energy to make like-minded people set out on a journey together.

 

 How I met the little children

 

P1000949

I met Tharindu Amunugama at a rather noisy festive location in Colombo in August 2011. It didn’t take long to find out his inspiration in life: the Children’s project he believed in which his Chairman Mano Nanayakkara had launched titled Glorious Jaffna. I had seen the book.   Curious, I watched the Youtube vid of the launch and there was something about the ‘Wheel-Chairman’ and his commitment that was riveting. Had I not heard this name before? Maybe as a young lawyer at Paul Ratnayeke’s I may have, but I didn’t ask anyone about it and pledged to support two kids in the project in the name of my own two kids in 2012.

When Trehan sent me the pictures of the kids I chose the little boy cos he had one eye and the little girl cos there was an angry expression on her face as though she did not realise that a smile would help her case. Nor care.

Continue reading Ravi has one beautiful eye! →

Discover, Travel

And so it is.

Leave a comment

 

The Sri Lanka Diaries blog


My first glimpse of Sri Lanka was from the aircraft.

Having forgotten to carry a book amidst all the hustle-bustle of carrying and checking in multiple bags, I was on my third perusal of the surprisingly well-written JetWings magazine when I happened to look out at the exact moment the plane was flying over the little strip of ocean between India and Sri Lanka.

It’s an amazing sight – one I haven’t been lucky enough to see before: bright blue ocean meets vibrant green land. It’s all very Google-maps, except it’s actually right under you!

What struck me right away (and I venture to say that it’s probably what strikes most folks) about Sri Lanka was the green.Read more at  Sri Lanka Diaries 

 

Gaya: Sri Lanka Diaries is the only name I have for her at present but soon she will tell me her name on iSrilankan when we have that  papaya juice at the Barefoot Cafe with the lady in person. She is in her own words  ‘An Indian on the serendipitous island of Sri Lanka, discovering life and the world, one day at a time!’

This is her first post arriving in her new home Sri Lanka. Through her words I once more marvel at serendipity.  I love featuring non-Srilankans living in the island who write good crazy-honest stuff and are fearless gutsy wanderers. Strange thing is, so far they are both women 😉 but I have hope that some good men will turn up !!