All posts filed under: Personal

Self Portrait/Reflections

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Last week I was part of a group of visual artists invited to take part in a 5 day workshop conducted by Iranian photographer Shirana Shabazi.   Held at the Theertha Artists Collective in Borella, the workshop gave us all a chance to reflect on our work, share critique, and exercise our skill and imagination. Shirana is an amazing human being and artist. Check out some of her work at the MoMA site here I’ve been shooting since I was 17 and the workshop gave me a chance to reflect on the kind of pictures I’ve taken over these years. From shooting travel portraits and landscapes,  to magazine covers to weddings, and now doing mainly studio work of food and jewelry, my ideas around portraiture, post production and commercial photography have evolved. Of late I’ve become uncomfortable with my collection of untitled travel portraits. In college, inspired by Steve McCurry-esque  portraits of the exotic developing world, I too went to Kashmir looking for green eyed subjects like the Afghan Girl. Sharbat Ghula, a now burkha clad …

Let there be Light

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Even After All this time The Sun never says to the Earth, “You owe me.” Look What happens With a love like that, It lights the whole sky. From The Gift: Poems by Hafiz. An English rendering by Daniel Ladinsky of poet Hafiz’s work. In July this year I was invited to take part in ‘Let There Be Light,’ curated and produced by talented artist Chandrika Maelge. The mixed faith collective included photographer Kesara Ratnavibhushana, film maker Hilusha Hewagama and writer Nuzaifa Hussain. Each of us made a personal interpretation of the words ‘Let there be Light,’ which are the first words in the bible.   I took a literal approach in my interpretation and chose to celebrate the original sources of light around us, namely the sun, moon and stars. Like expressed in the poem by Hafiz above, I am in forever awe of the hold that these celestial orbs have over our survival here on Earth, and revelation teaches us how light is a sign of God’s existence. In the Quran, ‘The Light’ (An-Noor) …

The Colombo Project

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In 2016, I conceptualized an installation titled ‘The Colombo Project,’  for Cinnamon Colomboscope, an annual contemporary and multi-disciplinary arts festival in Sri Lanka. Using both photography and film,  the installation tried to capture a vision of the city which holds within itself a potential for ethnic and religious harmony through its built environment and technological advancement. ‘The Colombo Project’ was invited to be exhibited at Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa (2019) and at the Mittal South Asia Institute at Harvard University (2022). The installation was based on the neighbourhood around the Kirulapone Canal, an area that houses ethnically and socioeconomically diverse communities of Colombo. Having worked and studied in the area, my own relationship with the neighbourhood spans two decades. The idea of the installation was to enable visitors to understand how our built and virtual environments impacted our interactions with one another. Our interactions are key to formulating perceptions of each other, and as Colombo expands both vertically and horizontally, embracing the aesthetics and technology of a ‘modern’ and ‘global’ city, what could these …

My Father

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I’ve taken a while to write this post mainly because there are so many feelings that run through my heart. To say my father is my rock is an understatement. There are many ways I can introduce my father. Him as an individual who is forthright, intelligent, just, and kind. He also has a great sense of humour that is a big hit at parties and everyday family dinners. Then there is him as the husband and father, who is sensitive, supportive, responsible and loving. Brought up in the Woodstock generation, my dad was a hippie, a socialist, a history and music buff, whose library included copies of Sputnik and books on the histories of the USA, The Rockefellers, Rothschilds, as well as a copy of James Clavell’s Shogun. A shoe designer by qualification, he studied at Cordwainers  in London, the same design school as Jimmy Choo. Meeting society’s expectations of lifestyle or career did not matter to him. My dad is a modest man, who despite running a shoe business goes to work in …

Lesley Hazleton

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Lesley Hazleton lives on a houseboat, wrote about cars for a decade, and also has a pilot license. A natural affinity for all vehicles, the tuk tuk or trishaw, was next on her list. During Lelsey’s stay in Colombo, I was given the opportunity of taking her around the city. We went to the Kirulapone canal for her lesson, where a friend of mine owns a tuk tuk.  What with her packed speaking engagements, she didn’t have enough time to master it in a few hours.  So she knows it’s a sign for her to return to Sri Lanka some day (well I think it is). Lesley was here in January on an invitation by the Galle Literary Festival.  She also spoke at many other free events in Colombo. In the week she was in Sri Lanka, she inspired people to take up this same spirit of inquiry and challenge their perceptions of religious iconic figures.  In The First Muslim, she writes about  Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the book is considered an acclaimed …

MMDA – Misconceptions about the reforms.

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Featured image is of my friend Sineen’s nikkah signing in India. The registrar, and two witnesses approach the groom in his section. The registrar says the bride’s name and asks him for his consent to marry her. He says ‘khabool hai’ three times and signs the certificate.  Then they go to women’s section and approach the bride. They ask her whether she consents to marry the groom. She replies ‘khabool hai’ three times and signs the certificate.  In the name of God, the most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Assalamu Alaikum Dear Muslims, I would like to address some misconceptions about the reforms for the MMDA (Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act) in Sri Lanka. 1. The rumour that is has to do with with pressure from the EU is a lie. This rhetoric is being used to misinform Muslims into believing that pressure is being exerted externally. Reforms started way back in the 1970’s by Muslim men. I even attended a meeting by the Muslim Women’s Action Forum in 2010, where reforms were discussed. The committee set up to recommend …

My Mother

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My mother is a powerhouse. She can literally conquer a nation, win over the people, befriend all the wild animals, and build beautiful buildings with great interior decor. In our world she is partner to my dad’s business, a great mother and teacher, an artist, a designer, interior decorator, and lover of animals. Growing up, she remembers being the tom boy in the family. Not interested in going out, she preferred to stay home with her pets. Multi talented, she taught German, tailored clothes, painted and traveled extensively. She has a great knowledge of politics, and has an amazing sense of design. As children, my brother and I knew we had unconventional parents. While most parents forced their kids to stay indoors, we spent a good part of our childhood on the streets playing cricket and cycling. Being creative was of our upbringing, from the funky shaped sandwiches in our lunch boxes, to painting sessions in the garden. Being a feminist, my mother made sure I had access to equal opportunity. Because of this, my brother …