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| Saturday, 26 January 2002 |
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Birds
at the University of Colombo
by Aditha Dissanayake Her eyes are like two beads - round and black. Her mouth is red - the colour of strawberries. I run my eyes down her anatomy. Throat, neck, breast, belly... I raise my hand to touch her. I am not sure how she would react. But to my surprise she remains still, lets me stroke her chin... Yes. I am talking about a bird (the kind that flies). A parrot. She does not move when I try to touch her because she is not real. The green bird in front of me is in a photo captured by an amateur photographer. There are so many photos of beautiful birds, they overwhelm me. The walls of the new Biology Lecture Theatre of the University of Colombo are covered with them. They are seen posing in the cities, on the coast and in the hills. Some have been captured on to the lens against the blue skies, some while loitering on the ground. There are photos of the vegetarians and the hunters, photos of those who appear with the sun and disappear with him, and of those who avoid him altogether, wishing for the company of the moon, instead. Birds. The photos on display are a fascinating revelation of the extraordinary life styles of the beautiful, feathered creatures of nature. Most of the pictures are by amateurs. "They have been taken by ordinary cameras and have been sent to us as post-card size normal photos" says the President of the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL), Prof. S.W Kotagama. "Most exhibitions request the participants to send 8x10 frames. But these are expensive. We asked the amateur photographers to send us the normal frame photo sizes which are less costly to develop, and took on ourselves the task of enlarging the pictures into 8x10 frames for display" says the Professor. "We intend to encourage amateur photographers but the exhibition will also feature photos of professionals as well." "Together for Birds and the People - Birds, People and Habitats" will be opened by the Dean, Faculty of Science, University of Colombo on 26th January 2002 at the Biology Lecture Theatre. The exhibition will continue till 28th January 2002. All conformed bird lovers, bird watchers as well as the non-conformed (they'll soon be converted) are welcome. |
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