Alefiya Akbarally

Engagement Session Part II & III Shuchi and Ari.

2011-11-24T08:08:00.001-08:00

A fab engagement session ending at the Magnificent BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Stafford, Houston.

Engagement Session Part 1; Shuchi Desai and Ari Reddy.

2011-11-24T07:50:00.001-08:00

I have been wanting to post these images for a while now, and finally got to it on the weekend of Shuchi and Ari's wedding. The festivities begin today. Very excited to be honored with the task of photographing their BIG day!

Piazza della Signoria, Florence; Italy

2011-10-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

The Loggia dei Lanzi - Restoration on Giambologna's The Rape of the Sabine Women

Serenata, The Serenade, Rome; Italy.

2011-10-15T09:02:00.000-07:00

The serenade. It is common for the man to serenade the woman before he proposes marriage to her. He either performs the serenade himself or enlists the help of his musically-inclined friends. Often he will ask her father for his daughter’s hand in marriage before proposing to her.

Paolo & Paola, our friends from Roma, took us to their friend's Serenade. It was in a small town, about an hour from Rome. While the Groom serenades his Wife-to-be, with classic Italian tunes, a friend takes up a single red rose to her. When she throws the rose off the balcony to her love below, she has accepted his proposal. Ahhh Love...

Colder Weather - Zac Brown Band

2011-10-07T19:17:00.001-07:00

Colder Weather - Zac Brown Band

If you haven't heard it yet, it's time you did. Never usually put music up, but couldn't resist this one.

Getmarried.com

2011-09-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

Denise & Kenneth, Hotel Zaza, Houston, Texas.

Just joined Getmarried.com have a look and please pass it on!

http://www.getmarried.com/local-wedding-vendors/Houston_East_Texas/Photographers/weddings-by-alefiya/

Carlos & Crytal - Engagement Session Houston, Texas

2011-06-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

It was my second shoot with Crystal & Carlos before there wedding. Had a fun filled day first at the Cockrell Butterfly Center and then at one of the few remaining drive-in Cinema's in Texas.

Winning entry for Black & White Spider Awards - Harini for KT Brown

2011-06-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

http://www.thespiderawards.com/gala/index.php

Photography - Alefiya Akbarally
Location - Helga's Folly; Kandy
Designer - KT Brown

Make-up - Jacquie Mei (The Make Up Box)

Hair - Nimal Abeysiriwardana

Models - Harini Jayaweera & Shelomi Obeyesekere

Remembering...The Price of a Picture.

2011-04-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

Deaths of Photographers Hetherington and Hondros Up Stakes in Libya - Newsweek

Muslim schoolgirls play on the seashore in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Photograph: Christian Aid/Tim A Hetherington

Annie, you did it again.

2011-03-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

So its rarely I walk past the magazine racks at Target and gets stopped in my tracks. But this red headed bombshell just got me going. Was it the picture or the subject? I think it was the perfect marriage of both.

Annie Leibovitz photographed Rihanna for this months issue of Vogue. Her images were so manufactured yet raw. Much like Rihanna. I love how Annie, who emerged with The Rolling Stones in the 70's can become so intimate with someone who is defining the pop-culture of today. A career spanning 40 years, so consistent and brilliant.

Of course its an ode to the photographer and the photographed. The camera almost seems non- existent.

I need to find my rolling stone...

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R & R - Viva la Vida

2011-03-12T08:55:00.000-08:00

For more images visit - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=118214744895126&aid=31559

Sunari & Adnan; Mount Lavinia, Sri Lanka

2011-02-25T13:09:00.000-08:00

For more visit - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31496&id=118214744895126&saved & http://weddingsbyalefiya.com

Farida and Adam; Family Portraits

2011-02-24T10:07:00.000-08:00

Nanna's Helper; Malabe, Sri Lanka

2011-02-07T15:46:00.000-08:00

Jared and Lisa - Bridal Shoot, Houston, Texas. Love like this is worth dying for!

2011-02-03T08:41:00.000-08:00

For more on this shoot and others please visit www.weddingsbyalefiya.com and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alefiya-Akbarally-Photography/118214744895126.

Beach Batik -Romanthi Maria for Buddhi Batik

2010-12-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

For the whole set visit me on facebook -http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23562&id=118214744895126

Women's Voices; Living Room Art, Voices Breaking Boundries; Sixth Ward, Houston.

2010-11-12T15:59:00.000-08:00

A historical Sixth Ward home hosts "Women’s Voices: Honoring Alice Valdez and Sheema Kermani".
For more see - http://www.vbbarts.org/calendar.shtml

5 minutes of Emancipation; Life Is Living; Emancipation Park, Houston.

2010-11-10T09:16:00.000-08:00

The Mitchell Center, in partnership with artist-in-residence Marc Bamuthi Joseph, the Living Word Project and Youth Speaks, Inc., hosted Life Is Living Houston, a hip-hop-based environmental justice festival. Focused primarily on Houston's Third Ward neighborhood, the festival further connects University of Houston with its surrounding community and celebrates the extraordinary people who sustain the cultural life in and around the Third Ward.

t-b (1) Emancipation Park; Houston. (2) Aquaponics display by Keba Armand Konte (3) Live graffiti display on 20 car-hoods

Dig deeper - http://www.lifeisliving.org/

Happy Halloween in Houston

2010-11-01T16:02:00.000-07:00

t-b Logan; aged 4 named after Wolverine from the X-men. He's dad is die hard fan.

(centre) Jason. Inflatable pumpkin/ghost chocolate dispenser.

Bahama Mama; Bahamas

2010-10-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

t-b - Dolphin's Cay, Atlantis - The Lost World of Atlantis; Paradise Island, Bahama Mama Memorabilia; Paradise Island, Art for a Cause; Habour Island, Bahamas.

The Presley Women - Priscilla & Lisa Marie Presley

2010-10-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

A photo of a portrait at Graceland.

Watch Oprah's interview with Lisa Marie -

1/3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LngoYj4ML4&feature=related

2/3 -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diA9ochtq6I&feature=related

3/3 -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2C5nPLc6_I&feature=related

Home of Elvis - Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee.

2010-10-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

Elvis Presley's 14 acre mansion.
top-bottom - Living Room, Billiards Room and Media Room with white monkey.

Launch of www.WeddingsbyAlefiya.com

2010-10-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

Please Visit - www.WeddingsbyAlefiya.com

Gonzo - at the Collector's Eye Opening; Fotofest

2010-09-29T16:23:00.001-07:00

Beach Batik - Buddhi Batiks

2010-07-30T16:07:00.000-07:00

Model - Romanthi Maria Colombage

Client - Buddhi Batik

The De Lanerolle Brothers

2010-04-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

Deanne for "U"

2010-04-05T10:41:00.001-07:00

Ruwangi & Thedin - Galle Face Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

2010-01-04T18:36:00.000-08:00

Otara for CJS - Oh la la!

2009-12-30T21:11:00.000-08:00

Fire, Sri Lanka.

2009-11-29T09:05:00.000-08:00

Nothing can steal happiness, peace away from you: if anyone does make you angry, you are the loser; if someone can allow you to lose peace, you are the loser

Bikram Choudhury

POKE! Artists and Social Media - A Fotofest Exhibition, Houston, USA

2009-09-19T08:18:00.000-07:00

POKE! explores the inter-personal intentions of social media technology and the nature of modern internet-mediated relationships with work that references and uses source material from popular online social media websites such as Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Craigslist, and YouTube.

Penelope Umbrico, Suns from Flickr, 2006-2007

Christopher Baker (Minneapolis, MN) compiles a wall full of personal, diarist messages by teenage users of YouTube and Facebook. The wall-sized video installation is a cacophonous monument to the individual’s voice and the confessional nature of self-made video.

Penelope Umbrico (New York, NY) obsessively appropriates images from Craigslist, where merchants selling second-hand televisions make unwitting self portraits of themselves. These images of TVs, branded with their owners faces, are reproduced life-sized and sold for the same price as their real-life counterparts, questioning the worth of the consumable (the TV) and the original (the photograph).

Freeze Frame - Powercut Circus, Bands, Sri Lanka.

2009-09-11T12:58:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard of them, well its time you did. Powercut circus is one of the most original bands I have come across. I just wish they would come out with an album... Their lyrics are quirky yet profound. Visit them at - http://www.myspace.com/powercutcircus listen to their music! If you can get a hold of this months Serendib Mag, there is an feature about them "Circus at the Folly". Thanks to Helga Folly's again for the generous hospitality. Thanks guys for letting me SHOOT you! & Feroze and Sonali for the attire!

Helga, at Helga's Folly; Kandy, Sri Lanka

2009-08-04T01:29:00.000-07:00

wearing KT Brown

HI-gh Street fashion in Main Street Pettah!

2009-07-30T08:14:00.001-07:00

For the complete scoop pick up the latest issue of Hi Magazine!

Adam Flamercaldera and Chulpamedra model for Buddhi Batik.

We don't like Cricket, We Love it! - Beach Cricket, Sri Lanka.

2009-07-28T01:53:00.000-07:00

Tea is liquid wisdom.

2009-07-12T07:19:00.000-07:00

It was time to do something for the family. Here's my contribution. There are 45 such images! Nothing quite like a cup of tea.

Diamonds and Pearls, CJS, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

2009-06-23T22:07:00.000-07:00

Time for a Facelift - www.alefiya.com

2009-06-11T22:06:00.001-07:00

Another year or so has gone by and it was time to update www.alefiya.com with some of my new work. I hope you enjoy viewing the images. Thank you all for your support, comments, feedback and constructive criticism during my blogging years! I am now more or less based both in Houston, Texas and Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Happy Clicking!

Every Dog has its Day - Dutch Reformed Church, Galle Literary Festival; Galle; Sri Lanka.

2009-05-26T00:07:00.000-07:00

Amongst a packed audience, a lone dog enjoys the precision sounds of The Chamber Music Society of Colombo as they give a special concert at dusk at the newly restored Dutch Reformed Church in Galle.

Deborah and Crystal; Allan Parkway, Houston, Texas.

2009-05-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

Garden of the Gods; Colorado.

2009-05-23T22:24:00.001-07:00

Mum and Me; Garden of the Gods, Colorado.

2009-05-23T22:22:00.000-07:00

Mutz and Marina, Mt. Evans; Denver,Colorado.

2009-05-23T22:19:00.000-07:00

Astros and Bubbles; Houston, Texas.

2009-05-23T22:15:00.000-07:00

My first Astros and Brewers game... not gonna be my last!

Stanley Kirinde (1930-2009)

2009-03-30T22:11:00.000-07:00

Stanley next to his mural "The Wedding at Cana" at the Cathedral of the Living Saviour, Colombo; 2007. (Trinity)

Being Alefiya

2009-03-27T09:32:00.001-07:00

Sarita and Tannar - a few more

2009-01-24T00:24:00.000-08:00

Sarita and Tannar wed; Colombo, Sri Lanka.

2009-01-24T00:21:00.000-08:00

A new year and the work begins at home.

2009-01-02T10:03:00.000-08:00

Guru Pooja - more from a magical evening

2008-12-28T20:36:00.000-08:00

Guru Pooja

2008-12-21T09:43:00.001-08:00

Celebrating Upeka's 50 years of Dance presented by the Chitrasena-Vajira Dance Foundation.

Mariyah you've got to see her... CJS

2008-12-11T05:16:00.000-08:00

Ajantha Mendis for Adoh!

2008-09-10T21:55:00.000-07:00

AJ wins ICC award for emerging cricketer of the year in Dubai.

Urban Changes - the exhibition

2008-09-09T05:36:00.000-07:00

Tamanna

2008-09-04T05:13:00.000-07:00

Red Ivory presents Tamanna; a woman's desire.

12th - 14th Sept at Goldfern, 17 Abdul Cafoor Mw, Colombo 3.

10am-6pm

For the babies

2008-08-31T23:17:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka's Sprint Queen Susanthika

2008-08-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

Off the Peg - Revisted

2008-08-02T08:35:00.001-07:00

I feel as though I have been left behind in the frenzy which has made its way to Hikkaduwa. Well in the least its given me time to revisit some of my old work and relive its old vision. This was a series I began through a workshop at the Goethe Institut Colombo about a couple of years back. A dear friend has been reminding me to restart this work... which I hope one day will find it's place in a book of sorts.

The images try to tell the story of a place (country) with the clothesline ever present; Off the Peg. I know I could put that better... (this is why I am not a writer).

The 3 images were taken at different times (from top to bottom) 1. A communal hanging centre (?I just invented that name) on the Kandy-Peradiniya Rd, 2. The Christmas Star; Ragama 3. The Race Course; Nuwera Eliya.

The Esufally Kids, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

2008-07-24T07:15:00.000-07:00

Ch Ch Ch Chules

2008-07-17T01:38:00.000-07:00

Vijayanthi - need I say more?

2008-07-14T23:52:00.000-07:00

I have a dream...

2008-07-11T22:51:00.000-07:00

The beautiful faces of I have a dream, a part of Colombo Pride 2008!

Lady in Red

2008-06-08T00:18:00.000-07:00

Michelle Perera for the Leisure Times. For more get this months LT :).

Michelle Perera for LT

2008-06-08T00:13:00.000-07:00

Celebrate me home

2008-05-23T06:49:00.000-07:00

Chula for Sonali White's Haddai

MC - Mariya Colombage

2008-05-04T03:23:00.000-07:00

The Misses Sri Lanka

2008-05-01T22:01:00.000-07:00

Nadeeka and Maria model for up coming designer Nishika Samaratunga.

4 Designers 4 In Vogue

2008-04-29T06:40:00.000-07:00

Described as the "Sirens of Style" I had a lovely time meeting with and photographing Darshi, Purnima, Sharmini and Yoland.

Chula and Buddhi Batiks - what a combo!

2008-04-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

My Godchild weds

2008-04-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

The beautiful Shaheena gets her Nikkah taken with Rehan. How time flies...

Fleur and Nick wed; Galle, Sri Lanka.

2008-04-15T00:04:00.000-07:00

Vimukti - Cinemas Golden Boy

2008-04-13T05:49:00.000-07:00

Get your copy now!

Rainforest - Elephant Foot

2008-04-09T09:03:00.000-07:00

Inspirational music from an inspirational place - the eclectic sounds of the Hikkaduwa drummers; Rainforest by Elephant Foot - OUT NOW!

Philip Jones Griffiths - The loss of another great

2008-03-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

Philip Jones Griffiths: 1936 - 2008

Note: The obituary below has been taken from the Magnum website. Please visit the Magnum to view photographic work by Philip Jones Griffiths

By Stuart Franklin

The world that I grew up in will be, from today, a poorer place. It is with great sadness I have to write that Philip - a monumental, irrepressible force in photography and in life - and a courageous fighter against the cancer that finally defeated him - passed away early this morning.

Philip's passing is an enormous loss to us all at Magnum, and I am sure to everyone who knew him. It was a privilege to have brushed, even lightly, against his charm, his brilliance and his passion for photojournalism. Those who only know him through his work will have missed his skills as an orator, raconteur, wit and polemicist. He remained the lovely man that he was - graceful and welcoming - especially to young people trying to make a start in photography. He had much to pass on, not just about the importance of "real" photography, but about the art and craft of picture-making.

Philip was born in Rhuddlan, near Rhyl in Wales on 18th February 1936 and it was there, at the age of 16, that he learnt an early lesson about photography - from Henri Cartier-Bresson: "The first picture of his I ever saw was during a lecture at the Rhyl camera club. I was 16 and the speaker was Emrys Jones. He projected the picture upside down. Deliberately, to disregard the subject matter to reveal the composition. It's a lesson I've never forgotten.

"It was Philip's consummate skill as a picture maker, carefully able to draw the viewer closer and closer to his subjects through his emotionally-charged compositions that lent such power to his work. Philip was always concerned with individuals - their personal and intimate suffering more than any particular class or ideological struggle. And the strength of his vision, that inspired so many of us, led Henri Cartier-Bresson to write of Philip: "not since Goya has anyone portrayed war like Philip Jones Griffiths.

"Philip's iconic work on the Vietnam War, an unprecedented work, published in 1971 under the title 'Vietnam Inc.' is arguably the most articulate and compelling anti-war statement made by any photojournalist ever. Indeed it led Noam Chomsky to comment that: "If anybody in Washington had read that book, we wouldn't have had these wars in Iraq or Afghanistan".

Indeed, it was Philip's passion for peace that led to greatness in his later work. In 2005 he published "Viet Nam at Peace" a 25 year study exploring the long term consequences of the war. The first Westerner to travel by road from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City after the war, and later the Ho Chi Minh trail, he amassed an unparalleled photographic record of the post-war transformation of this country.

Thoroughly industrious and tenacious to the end, Philip had just completed a new book of his less known studies of British life in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, entitled 'Recollections', and in the last few weeks before his death, Philip became thoroughly engaged in compiling his life's work documenting Cambodia.

Philip enriched all our lives with his courage, his empathy, his passion, his wit and his wisdom; and for many he gave to photojournalism its moral soul. He died as he wanted so passionately that we should live - in peace. In his last days he was together with his loving family and friends at his side.

He leaves behind his loving family, Fanny Ferrato, Katherine Holden, Donna Ferrato and Heather Holden.

The delectable Deepak

2008-03-17T09:42:00.000-07:00

for Buddhi Batiks

Rajastan Revisted

2008-03-16T02:12:00.001-07:00

With a little help from a friend...

The Woman in Black

2008-03-09T23:51:00.000-07:00

The elusive Natasha Thompson behind the scenes at the House of Mannequins fashion show.

AIS Fashion Show 2008

2008-03-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

The Magic of Udaipur, India.

2008-03-06T09:01:00.000-08:00

The City Palace, Udaipur, India

2008-03-05T21:41:00.000-08:00

The reigning Miss Sri Lanka - Maria Colombage

2008-02-23T04:22:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous, beautiful and a delight to work with!

Cancer is a word, not a sentence. ~ John Diamond

2008-02-15T10:11:00.000-08:00

Needless to say I have just seen Phil Borges present his work to us at Barefoot and I feel a little awakened and somewhat inspired. I feel quite strongly about the recent work I have began... this time its more about the people than the work. Perhaps that's how it always should be.

The Cancer Hospital, Maharagama is in a sorry state. While its got its handful of brave doctors and caregivers, it needs so much much more. I hope this works helps... somewhere, someway... To view the entire set please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/alefiyaakbarally/sets/72157603916930479/.

BLOW UP (1966)

2007-12-22T23:17:00.000-08:00

Blow-Up (1966) is writer/director Michelangelo Antonioni's view of the world of mod fashion, and an engaging, provocative murder mystery that examines the existential nature of reality through photography. Antonioni's first film in English, it quickly became one of the most important films of its decade, and a milestone in liberalized attitudes toward film nudity and expressions of sexuality. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards (with no wins): Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay (Edward Bond, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Tonino Guerra).

A desensitized-to-life, nihilistic, high-fashion photographer Thomas (David Hemmings) in London, who lives a mid-60s life of excess (riches, fame, and women), becomes bored with his lucrative career of glamour photography. So he resorts to photographing, in documentary style, the seamy and sordid side of life in London, in flophouses and slums.

Innocently, he takes candid photos in a deserted park of a lover's tryst-rendezvous between a kerchief-wearing woman (Vanessa Redgrave) and a middle-aged, gray-haired man in a light-gray suit. She pursues him to ask for the illicit photos, as he imagines that he has witnessed a scene of sexual intrigue - never thinking that he may have accidentally obtained visual, criminal evidence of a murder.

For Dilly's Fashion store, Colombo.

Model -Mika

Audrey - Take 2

2007-12-16T00:42:00.000-08:00

Working with Tashy, Tanja and Dilani was an absolute delight. Great thought introducing the birdcage in Tanja!

Dilly's goes to the Movies - The gorgeous Natasha Thompson plays Audrey Hepburn

2007-12-13T20:35:00.000-08:00

Jump - Venuri for Aura

2007-12-08T04:09:00.000-08:00

Flying - Venuri for Aura

2007-12-08T04:05:00.001-08:00

Venuri for Aura

2007-11-29T22:55:00.000-08:00

Under the creative direction of Dhanushka Amarasekera this was probably one of the most enjoyable and fulfilling shoots I have done to date. As for Venuri, there are no words to describe her, so I won't even try. There are 12 such images with different jumps, i will try and post them all...eventually.

Agency - Liquidmedia

Charlie and The Cake Factory

2007-11-11T19:11:00.000-08:00

Charlie says and I agree, indisputably the best cupcakes, love cakes and milk toffee in town! If you haven't come across products from the Cake Factory its time you did! Their products are available at Dwellings, Odel and Barefoot. One cup and you won't stop! (ok ok... that was a little sugary!)

2007-11-08T20:26:00.000-08:00

This has been a while in making but is finally up and ready. If you have some spare time please visit www.alefiya.com. Please feel free to pass it on as well. Thanks for all the comments, feedback and support. Happy Clicking!

Daysleeper, Mumbai, India.

2007-11-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

Bombay mere he!

2007-11-05T00:30:00.000-08:00

Mumbai (Marathi: मुंबई Mumbaī), formerly known as Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. With an estimated population of about 13 million, it is the largest metropolis in India and one of the world's most populous cities within administrative limits. With the population of 19 million, Mumbai Metropolitan Area is also world's 5th most populated. Located off the west coast of India, the city has a deep natural harbour. Mumbai handles over half of India's passenger traffic and a significant amount of cargo.

I'm getting married in the morning...

2007-10-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

I could be stepping out of Stefordville... but interestingly enough it was our very own Pettahville, and an age old iconic store which has by far the best display of wedding couples, i mean the ones that go on top of cakes; wedding ones i hope. Ever Parr might have considered it a worthy find. What a spitting image of us Lankans... :)

R.M. Naeem - the artist

2007-09-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

Naeem is an old friend and a great artist who has returned to Colombo to open his exhibition at Paradise Road Gallery. Accomplished in the technique of fine art and miniature painting, this is not an exhibition to be missed by anyone, let alone an art-lover.

There is a solitude and calmness to his work which he says can only be accomplished with great effort. The exhibition is on for 2 weeks... so hurry and escape to his mystic world.

Kumbi Kathawa - of Ants and a Mosquito

2007-09-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

I am a shamed to say that it was the first time I had ever experienced the wonder of the Chitrasena Kalayathanaya, but you can be rest assured I won't miss another production. As Sanjana quite aptly noted in his account of Kumbi Kathawa when he had the task to write about it (http://www.groundviews.org/2007/08/23/a-brief-glimpse-of-kumbi-kathawa-ant-story/) its was both daunting and humbling, I shared similar sentiments taking pictures! If pictures only could do justice to the details, dance and drama... the magic of Kumbi Kathawa transports you from this world to quite another. Afterall even Einstein said "Dancers are the athletes of God."

Kumbi Kathawa (Ant Story) by the Chitrasena Kalayathanaya

2007-09-26T12:08:00.001-07:00

Thaji lights up the stage

Kumbi Kathawa (Ant Story) by the Chitrasena Kalayathanaya

2007-09-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

The beautiful and talented Thaji

It's their word against mine

2007-09-07T07:04:00.000-07:00

My mum loves to play Scrabble. In fact her friends do too. They belong to the Sri Lanka Scrabble League. Dedicated to the New Collins Word Book, they know every 4 letter, 3 letter and 2 letter word in sight. The Galaha challenge was an experience for Dad and I. We were overwhelmed at their commitment to the game. They called the toilet a winderloo; a hot curry of sorts and I was duly informed that the newest addition to the world of words was Ageusia.

Peculiar Peradeniya

2007-09-03T06:12:00.000-07:00

It was one of those average trips back to Galaha, taking the short cut through the Peradeniya University Campus. Perhaps one of the most beautiful University Campuses in the world; when we came across a huge gathering of Uni students, at least that's what I presumed. I got Karunadasa to stop the van, in next to no speed assembled the camera and started firing away at this strange spectacle. There were close to 500 women dressed in sari, all with their heads covered and made to walk down this steep hillside stairway.

I had barely managed to figure out what was happening when 5 guys surrounded me, and started questioning my intentions on taking the pictures. I said it looked interesting and wanted to photograph it. They said no photos allowed. "I have a right", public road, public access, what's the big deal? They said no way. No pictures. Then Karunadasa came to my rescue, "Baby, appi yamu, wadak ne". Then the leader of the pack "Ow baby yanne, Appi hondate kewaneda?"

Afraid more for my driver than myself, we left. Can anyone shed light?

Everyday Heroes - My Sacrifice

2007-08-18T19:54:00.001-07:00

The Ther Chariot festival of Mayurapathi Sri Pathrakali Amman Temple. See this happening every year on top of my lane, but yesterday was the first time I took my camera out.