Denzil's Stories

Train ride to the hills Two lads come of age during a trip to the country It was the era of the super seventies. I was in my first job as a rookie nineteen-year-old in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Abba and Santana were the raging music stars. Weekends were partying, music shows, hanging out with friends and country trips. I was enjoying my youth and discovering the world. Rajah and Edward R ajah and I were friends from our school-going days when we wore short pants, lasting a few years. The other friend in this story, Edward, and I met after I started working. Edward worked in a hotel while Rajah spent his time at home trying to figure out his future, restoring an old  1950s Fiat  in his backyard. At other times, Rajah was sewing his clothes and working on his mother’s Singer sewing machine. Both Rajah and Edward were from my home village in my neighbourhood. Rajah and I were bone skinny, and fair in complexion relative to dark Sri Lankans. Edward was dark, well-built with curly hair, ...

Backstage Artists and Crew I went away on a short trip with my camera gear and summer clothes to live and capture images of the  Esala Perahera  and its ancient Buddhist rituals in Kandy, Sri Lanka, where I was born and raised. With the help of contacts in Sri Lanka, I managed to be embedded with the media crews of this festival. The mainstream media traditionally captured this annual event, focussing on its public highlights. Instead, I chose to capture the hardworking crews behind the scenes. The artists and crews were the unsung heroes who made this great event the best cultural show in Sri Lanka. Dancing at this ceremony, drumming and carrying the fire torches are family traditions for the participants and their kin. It is a male-dominated event in a backwater country. The participants do this voluntarily with pride. It is also a religious and artistically significant glorious celebration. Esala Perahera is a 10-day event with night parades of dancers, drummers, acrobats, ...