My hands are SMALL!
Ishara JAYAWARDANE
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Anil with Provincial Minister
Gammanpila and Uruwarige Wannilaththo at his Website launch. |
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Anil
Nishantha |
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The statue
of Tissahami |
In a trillionth of a second images flash into his mind. His mind has
been honed to perfection by instincts embedded deep within him stemming
from a mysterious balance. He is Anil Nishantha, a sculptor.
From where does he get his talent? How has he been blessed with a
pair of hands that can create wonders?
“I am not just a sculptor. I am an artist, a cartoonist and a
journalist. I started my career at Dinamina. The statue of Tissahami,
leader of the Veddhas is the highlight of my career. I have also
recently launched a nature cartoon website which is the first in Sri
Lanka. One of the biggest problems in Sri Lanka is the environmental
problem. At this juncture in time I think we must give prominence to the
environment and not political cartoons – a cartoon which features
environmental protection,” said Anil.
Anil points out that Sculpting is not his profession. “I dislike
compartmentalizing myself. My scope encompasses all fields – sculpting
painting, cartoons and journalism. In a sense I am my own sunshine. I
don't charge money or ask for funds, I sponsor my own work with my own
expenditure. My journalism career is extensive, having worked for 11
newspapers as a layout editor, political cartoonist and graphic
designer. Right now I am involved in a network of activities that keep
me occupied and I am also very free spirited. I also believe that you
cannot measure creativity and say: this is good or this is bad.
Sculpting is rare in Sri Lanka. There is talent but there is no
scope/ industry as such in Sri Lanka “I chose this field because it
appeals to my instincts. I recognized its potential to branch out. I
felt I needed to do something for this form of Art. The technical part
of sculpting was taught to me by Sarath Kumarasiri, but the rest was
self taught and self learned. In the sculpting field the know how is not
enough. You need tools and that is what isn't there. There is no market
for sculpting to buy or sell”. The launching of this first environmental
cartoon website took place on 23rd November at the Birds Island in the
Beira Lake. This is the independent work of Anil, who doesn’t belong to
any organization or institute. The purpose of this website is to raise
awareness about environmental problems. Vikum Wijesooriya and Dilshan
designed this website.
Thanks are due to Provincial Minister Udaya Gammanpila, Uruwarige
Wannilaththo, Tilak Punchihewa, Tilak Perera, Ajith Kumarasiri and Tilak
Jayantha who supported the launching of the website.
Pictures by Lalith.C.Gamage and Ranjith Asanka
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