Eyes of Jaffna

ANCL photo-journalist Kathiravelu reminisces:

Chaminda Perera

Attired in sarong and a short sleeved shirt with a digital camera, he walks down the Kankesanthurei road in the heart of Jaffna town recollecting the hay days of his career. He may not know what photo journalism is, not even its ethics but he still makes his presence of many important events in the peninsula.

He broke down when he remembered the ethnic violence of 1983 and how his shops were set on fire as a result of ‘mob violence’ which according to him was instigated by the Police and politicians of the time. “I had a number of shops on the Katudi road and many were reduced to ashes,” he said. He held the Sri Lanka Army in high esteem for dousing the fire. They deserve the respect of all Tamils,” he added.

Sankarakkambar Kathiravelu of Ambalavnagar Street in Uduvil first joined the ANCL as its Jaffna photo journalist in 1952. Many important events in the Jaffna peninsula came through his lense since then. Born in 1933, Kathiravelu remembers Prime Ministers SWRD Bandaranaike and Dudley Senanayake’s visit to Jaffna town and his meeting with then TULF leader SJV Chelvanayagam.

He covered all visits of Prime Ministers to Jaffna including the arrival of Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. He says his camera did not miss a single event in the Peninsula from 1950s to early 1980s. Kathiravelu adds that Thinakaran published by the ANCL had the monopoly in the Northern province. “More than 30,000 copies were sold in the Northern province alone in the mid 60s if my memory is correct,” he added. A father of two , Kathiravelu added that not a single correspondent or photographer or even an outsider could meet an editorial staffer without prior appointment at the Lake House premises in the old days.

An “editorial was a very respected section in ANCL,” he added. “I had a number of visits to the ANCL specially Works Department but neither occasion, was I able to enter the Editorials,” he added. He added that the technology has developed rapidly and the people in Jaffna have been barred from grasping these technological trends by the LTTE for more than 30 years. Carrying a rather modern digital camera in his hand, Kathiravelu said that photography itself has advanced. “I have shifted myself to digital camera. I used a Rolex camera in the ‘50s and early ‘60s and sent printed photos to Lake House by train,” he added.

He said he became popular among the Jaffna public after he used the Asha Pentex Camera which was presented to him by the proprietor of Rajappa Studio, New Chetty street, in the late’ 60s. Following his footsteps, his son is now employed in a famous studio in Jaffna town.

“My daughter, who left the country at the beginning of the riots, gifted me a digital camera,” Kathiravelu added. He added that the photos taken by the Pentex Camera were very clear and durable. Kathiravelu said hundreds of photos taken by him in Jaffna may be preserved in the ANCL library today. Kathiravelu added that he has a collection of photos taken by him in the 60s and 70s and still possess the cameras he used right throughout his career.

He added that the photos taken by the digital camera are not durable. “I still like the Asha Pentex camera. There are no dark rooms in studios now. Everything is done on computer,” he added. “I remember my encounter with then Company Chairman Desmond Wickremesinghe in the early 1970s. He was disappointed with the then Government’s decision to take over Lake House,” Kathiravelu added. He said that he witnessed the excessive efforts made by ANCL employees in the Works Department and the Lino department.

Kathiravelu added that the people in Jaffna were deprived of many things due to the LTTE. “They lost their education and well to do people left their native place,” he said.

Kathiravelu added that the people in the district need better facilities. The Jaffna public should be given a chance to move with other communities.

He said the people of all communities would live together forever, if politicians do not interfere.