360° View: Sri Lanka, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia

Amaya Lake. Sometime in 2007. End of the break, time to leave.


Watching the Sunrise, somewhere in the Lebanese mountains. 2009. My good pal Fadi caught in the frame.


Saudi Arabia, 2008. Watching the sunset from a mountain top.


2006. Kaudulla, Sri Lanka. Elephant watching has just begun. Mahesh and Ranga with Arham – the amateur film crew. ;) I have combined the frames to create a huge image – almost 16 meters in length @ 72dpi.


270° View from a mountain top, somewhere in Buttala jungle, Sri Lanka. 2006.


Combining frames to create a single image kinda takes away the WOW factor, me thinks. And yes, these were shot without a tripod, hence the zig-zag look.

Sri Lanka: Small Miracle

Hidden Treasures of Galle

Sri Lanka is known for its record number of holidays. We might be at the top of the list of countries with the most number of holidays, but we do not have the habit of taking month-long vacations like the West. There are no summer holidays – there’s summer all year, and there is no winter or spring-breaks.

However, almost every month has a “long” weekend: a full-moon day immediately before or after the weekend. Or some other holiday – religious, national or international, falling next to a weekend. And we are known for our quick, long weekend trips.

The country is dotted with an amazing collection of unique places to stay – from beach resorts to bungalows to jungle retreats, if one desires to step out of the norm and discover something new. We actually do not need a month-long vacation to rejuvenate ourselves, a quick break, a couple of days in an idyllic setting is all that’s needed.

Even though on the ‘premium’ side, Kahandakanda is one such place, just 15 odd kilometres away from Galle, along a narrow winding road that leads inland, away from the beach that we’d like to usually stay. Skip the beach, take the narrow road, and get lost in the greenery and find yourself at Kahandakanda – a getaway for the ones who seek to escape from the hustle and bustle; it’s an indulgence that’s hard to forget.

Ignorance is bliss

There is a little roadside tea-shop in Balungala (Balanagala) closer to Girandurukotte, on the way from Polonnaruwa to Mahiyangana. The woman runs the shop while the husband tends to the patch of land they cultivate and other manly affairs in life.

Inside the little shop, there's a couple of plastic chairs for the odd traveller, and a kettle on fire in a corner on ground level. In the dimly-lit corner, next to the fire place, one would find a family of cats snoozing. Their toddler, with a home-made toy - an old tuna tin with a string or something - keeps himself busy while the mother attends to the guests. There are some skinny dogs loitering about - life in all forms and shapes exist in harmony around the place.

You will taste the best Vade, halapa, dodol and laveriya there - and of course a plain-tea with a piece of jaggery would be THE treat for the weary traveller.

The woman, has the most amazingly calm look I have ever seen on any woman's face. Peace, serenity, tranquility - crosses my mind. Her face says she is content with life. It says her life is perfect. It says she is the happiest person on this planet.

Ask her about the cost of living, or who voted for whom at the elections, she wouldn't know. Has she read the papers or watched tv lately? She doesn't find an absolute necessity there. What's going on in the next town - is there a musical show or a political meeting taking place - that's not at all important to her...

That is life perfect. That is bliss. Not to know the thing that you don't need to know.

The image of her serenity is carved in my memory - and every time I get frustrated and emotional about issues that are beyond me, I keep telling myself that ignorance is bliss. The more we know, the more we complicate our lives.

Sometimes, I wish I were an illiterate peasant living in a remote village, somewhere deep in the bush. My life, my aspirations, my expectations, would have been much less complicated. Sometimes I just wish I had never known most of what I know now.