Philately

This very pleasing set of three Cambodian stamps was sent to me by my American pen pal Andrew Crenshaw. Andrew is a computer graphic artist from New Jersey and we have been exchanging stamps and writing to each other for nearly ten years now. He has a special interest in Indochinese philatelic items, especially in military mail. He is part of a group of specialists in that collecting area called Imnaha Stamps.

Andrew has sent me a lot of stamps, including mint examples such as the above which I’d be hard put to find and buy in Sri Lanka. Thanks a lot, Andrew, for sharing this great hobby with me!

My advice to stamp collectors in Sri Lanka – find a pen pal, widen your horizons, and share what you have on the Web. Let others see what you have at least this way because exhibitions and clubs are hard to come by in this country.

Music

The golden era of Sri Lankan pop music -- the Super Golden Chimes at the entrance to the Kataragama Devalaya (Hindu temple) in the 1970s. This is the album cover for their hit song ‘Kanda Surinduni’ in homage to the god of Kataragama. I wonder how many would recognize Clarence Wijewardena today (second from left, chubby even then), Anil Bharathi (third from left, lanky as always) and Annesley Malewana (fourth from left, still looking very much like a teenager). These three were the crème de la crème of our pop singers of that era.  No Sinhala pop group since then (with the exception of the Moonstones, which included Annesley) has matched them in range, depth, creativity and originality. ‘Kanda Surinduni’ which very creatively mimicked the tones and rhythms of South Indian religious music, still retains its vitality and power. This was followed by a bi-lingual version, in which Sam Nathan (I believe) sang in Tamil alongside Clarence singing in Sinhala. It was very good but is hardly ever played today.

Photography

I photographed this pretty village girl while doing a photojournalism assignment in a village in the Sabaragamuwa province. She belongs to a farming family, and her daily chores including milking the cow, fetching and cutting firewood, cooking, fetching water from the well, tending to the paddy field and vegetable plots and, as can be seen in this photograph, ironing with a heavy iron. Her home had no electricity and the Petromax lamp used for lighting at night can be seen in the background. In the 1990s, the world around her was expanding, but she had no access to modern amenities. Despite this, and despite her evident poverty, she was extremely positive, hard working and looked forward to a better life.

Camera: Canon FTb  Lens Canon FD 28mm  film Fuji neopan SS100

Philately

This philatelic post card is part of a set issued in Britain to celebrate classic British motorcycles. I have it thanks to Eric James, my Scottish pen pal. He lives in Glasgow, and he has a fine collection of philatelic items from Sri Lanka, including the Ceylon period (British colonial era). He has sent me many delightful items – stamps, picture post cards, philatelic cards such as the above, air letters (aerogrammes), cancelled envelopes, besides many travel brochures, newspaper cuttings and magazines related to my interest areas such as motoring and travel. Thanks a lot, Eric, all this is deeply appreciated and I am now glad I have a chance to share with others some of your gifts via this blog.

Exhibitions

A retrospective exhibition of painter and sculptor H. A. Karunaratne was held last week at the J. D. A. Perera Gallery, Faculty of Visual Arts, University of the Visual and Performing Arts.

Pets and other creatures

Cats have had a big place in our family. Many strays wandering past have found our kitchen a good place to hang around. They would settle down to a half-domesticated life in the garage, appearing at the kitchen during meal times. One fierce female proved to be the most durable of these, lasting some fifteen years and dying in my books and junk room a couple of years ago. The brood in this picture are her grandsons and granddaughters. They became fully domesticated since they were born inside the house. The mother caught a cancer, was treated, but disappeared afterwards. Of these four, one disappeared after maturity but the rest are all here. I’ve got all the females sterilized. I mean, there’s a limit, considering that we have several more occupying the garage as well and new visitors passing by constantly!

Family pictures

This is my wife working at the home computer with our younger daughter in the background. This picture was taken about ten years ago.

Camera Asahi Pentax Spotmatic  Lens Russian made 20mm Film Fuji neopan SS 100  handheld available light taken at low shutter speed

Motorcycles

Well, I never used one of these nor any of the later versions. But the CD125 is a solid machine and still a favourite with those riders who want to look serious (the newer models are all black!). It’s a comfy bike and a real workhose. I’ve seen the later models carrying incredible loads with the pillion seat removed. I’d love to see something this old restored to pristine condition!

Photography

I snapped this beggar near the General Hospital, Eye Hospital junction, Colombo. The maimed beggar wasn’t happy being photographed (picture in the papers could mean trouble) but I wasn’t taking this for the paper. I remember seeing this man seated at the same place for many years and he disappeared one day; I never saw him anywhere else, either.

I was struck by the irony of the murals on the wall behind him, which show victims of accidents and acts of violence.

Canon FTb manual, 28mm lens, Fuji neopan black and white film. Taken in the late 1990s.