Travelling with Nihal Fernando-by Rajitha Ratwatte
Source:Island
To commemorate the 94th Birthday Nihal Fernando
which falls on August 8
CRACK OF DAWN! used to be the cry as the maestro knew the magic of the early morning light and how to harness it for photography. Crack of dawn it was, be it in the frosty cold mornings of Horton Plains or his beloved dry zone jungles or even the steamy humidity of the mighty Sinharaja. The Land Rover had to be coaxed into life (not always a simple procedure) and yours truly in the role of “charioteer” or driver in mundane parlance would set off with Nihal Fernando either in the passenger seat or perched in the back, his cameras, and lenses in wild disarray around him, to capture some of the indescribable beauty that is part of Island of Serendib “seven leagues (?) from the fountains of paradise”. We never did actually hear the fountains as was deemed possible, but we came mighty close!
It is thanks to Nihal Fernando that I got opportunities to visit some remote and even mystical areas of our country. He always seemed to be able to get permission as the authorities in those days appreciated his rare talent (inspired, he used to say by the great Lionel Wendt) to capture the subtle nuances and the very essence of his subject matter. I got to know him when he was probably in his late fifties and even then, he used to say that he could never sleep on the night before a trip into the jungles as the sheer excitement and anticipation had the adrenaline pumping in his veins.
The steady “PLOP” of the shutter of his Hasselblad camera emanating from all parts of his trusty Land Rover was a sure indication that the Maestro was in his element and short sharp instructions with regard to forward and backward movements to accommodate the light would be issued from time to time. This of course was the man at work, but my main role was to get him there through the roads of Ceylon and across many rivers and lagoons to what he sometimes called “Gods’ Own” with more than the moisture generated by the often-dusty journeys in his eyes.
No description of travels with Nihal Fernando would be complete without inclusion of his vehicle. His single cab series three long wheel base Land Rover which he bought for Rupees 14,000 in the 1960s with a mechanical winch and a power take. We never gave her a name but female she was, as that sort of temperament is only inherent to the female of the species! The cab was virtually open to the elements through various intentional and mostly unintentional openings. There was no power steering and of course air conditioning belonged to the future.
The designers of Land Rover in their infinite wisdom had placed the starter motor underneath the engine and all wading (or driving thought water – often salty) resulting in that vital piece of machinery ceasing to function on demand. On one unforgettable occasion, it was on a sandy beach at the estuary of a river on the morning following a memorable overnight camp. Imagine pushing a Land Rover to get it started on a soft sandy beach! That Land Rover seemed to relax just as much as we did once we got across the river to the rolling plains of our favourite coastal national park. Relax in the sense that her brakes just stopped working and we had to often coast to a stop with the help of a lone standing “Maliththan” tree at a campsite enjoyed by predecessors, who had loved the area just as much as we did.
The Land Rover used to be loaded to the proverbial gills for ten days of bliss beside a jungle river, so much so that the final bunch of thambili had to be put on the spare tire that was on top of the bonnet. A quick prayer to the Gods to ensure that we did not meet a curious herd of elephants on our way to the campsite was always answered.
As the Land Rover got older, NF succumbed to the superior reliability of the Japanese vehicles. Toyota Hilux took over and with it of course simple luxuries that made the eight to 10 hour journeys to our destinations much more comfortable. But when push came to shove and things were getting sticky in flood water or glutinous mud, the steady chug of the Land Rover and the superior suspension was always missed.
I was privileged enough to be given access to some breathtakingly beautiful, magical and even, mystical places thanks to Nihal Fernando allowing me to drive him there, and above all, enjoy them and appreciate them in the way that I was taught to, by the Maestro himself. The drives were often spent in companionable silence, mainly due to the Land Rover wishing to dominate the conversation with her engine and tyre noise but many is the evening I have spent beside roaring fires, or with the soothing hiss of a “Kitson” lamp in the background, a tumbler of his favourite arrack in my hand listening to a recap of the beauty we had experienced on that day. Words from a normally silent and almost shy man who was transformed when he was in his element and with, if I may venture to say, kindred spirits and people who Nihal Fernando thought had the capacity to understand.
Rajitha Ratwatte
Auckland Aotearoa – New Zealand
