Appreciation

                                                                                A TRIBUTE TO SIR ARTHUR C. CLARKE

Rex I. De Silva, 31 Dampe, Madapatha 10306, (Piliyandala)

It was on 16th December 2007 that I last spoke to Sir Arthur C. Clarke. The occasion was his ninetieth birthday celebration. After the VIP's had departed we shared a quiet moment together and while wishing him a "Happy birthday", I told Arthur that I expected to return in ten year's time to celebrate his one hundredth birthday. Sadly the fates decreed otherwise as he passed away just over three months later, on 19th March 2008.

Arthur first came to Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), accompanied by Mike Wilson, in 1954 to explore our underwater environment and observe, study and photograph marine life. Together with the legendary diver Rodney Jonklaas, Arthur and Mike explored shipwrecks, dived with sharks, giant groupers, barracuda, scorpionfish, rays and a variety of other marine creatures. Unlike many divers of that era Arthur did not spear fish, preferring to capture his "trophies" on film. His underwater exploits led to his first book on diving in Sri Lanka the "Reefs of Taprobane" which was published in 1957 and is today a collector's item. (His earlier book on diving, "The Coast of Coral" recounted his and Mike Wilson's underwater experiences on Australia's Great Barrier Reef). Arthur was a competent SCUBA diver and a good free diver (i.e. someone who dives without breathing apparatus). He was a member of the "Reefcombers of Ceylon" one of the world's first diving clubs. Together with Mike Wilson and Rodney Jonklaas he started a short-lived commercial diving organization "Clarke Wilson Associates". Later on Arthur and Hector Ekanayake founded "Underwater Safaris". In addition to the "Reefs of Taprobane" already referred to, he wrote "The First Five Fathoms", "Indian Ocean Adventure" and "Treasure of the Great Reef". In these books he recounted adventures with giant groupers, dogtooth tuna, sharks, barracuda and other marine species as well  as his experiences in diving for sunken treasure. Arthur, who was a renowned science and science fiction writer, incorporated his passion for marine life into several of his novels and short stories - a well-known example being "The Deep Range" - a part of this story is based around giant squids (Archeitheutis sp.), which he believed might inhabit the Trincomalee Submarine Canyon. In many of his writings and talks Arthur made it a point to promote Sri Lanka, his adopted home, which he loved passionately.

Arthur was an ardent conservationist, and believed strongly that marine and terrestrial wildlife should be protected at all costs. He did not really approve of Spearfishing and would gently chide his underwater hunting friends in attempts to persuade them to exchange their spearguns for cameras. Together with Rodney Jonklaas, Arthur carried out a valiant campaign against the dynamiting of fish. In later years he opposed the collection of marine ornamental fish and campaigned vigorously against coral collecting. Arthur was also an early proponent of habitat conservation and believed strongly that beautiful landscapes should be conserved purely for their aesthetic value.

Arthur abhorred cruelty to animals and always had several dogs in his home. Being a lover of animals, he was a member of many animal protection organisations and contributed generously to their upkeep. His last pet was "Pepsi" a tiny Chihuahua which he jokingly claimed was his " guard dog". He was heartbroken when Pepsi died.

In the more than four decades that we had known each other we shared many interests, among them were marine life, diving, wildlife and astronomy. Although he detested all forms of violence he looked kindly at my practice of the martial arts and would occasionally drop in to watch training sessions.He once requested a demonstration of Bojutsu (an Okinawan fighting art in which wooden staffs are used as weapons). The reason for this somewhat unusual request was that he had been thinking of writing a futuristic novel based on the fall of technological civilization in which humans' had reverted to the use of primitive weapons like staffs and, being the perfectionist that he was, Arthur wanted to get his "facts" right. Over the years we had numerous interesting conversations and discussions on a wide range of subjects.  While our association was always cordial, we disagreed on one topic viz. terraforming the planets (i.e. modifying planetary environments to make them earthlike and thus open them to human colonization). This was often the subject for debates in which neither of us triumphed.  My view was that Homo sapiens had messed up its home planet and therefore should not be allowed to export its pollution, misuse of natural resources, violence and wars to other parts of the solar system. Arthur's argument on the other hand was that, as this could only take  place several centuries in the future when the required technology and resources become available, mankind will have matured and learnt from its past mistakes. He considered that the exploration of space and colonisation of the planets are part of mankind's manifest destiny and that just as the first humans originated in Africa and expanded their range from the equator to the poles and distant oceanic islands, so must mankind now extend its territory into space. In his view this would be the next step in the Darwinian evolution of Homo sapiens. However, our continuing debate was more or less in the nature of an intellectual exercise as we both realised that neither of us would live to find out which one of us was right.

Sir Arthur was a man of many parts - a true renaissance man. As is well known, in 1945 he originated the concept of communication satellites in geostationary orbits. He was a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, received the Kalinga prize in 1961, was the Chancellor of the Moratuwa University, Grand Master of the Science Fiction Writers of America, Chancellor of the International Space University and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994. He was a Fellow of King's College, London. Arthur was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998 and was awarded the Lankabhimanya honour by the Sri Lankan government in 2005. He was the holder of several other honours and awards including several honorary doctorates. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) honoured Arthur, by naming asteroid No. 4923 after him. The IAU has also named the geostationary satellite orbit the "Clarke Orbit". Scientists in Monash University (Australia) named a dinosaur Serendipaceratops arthurcclarki in his honour. Nevertheless most people know Arthur as the author of "2001 - a space odyssey" which was made into a spectacular movie by Stanley Kubrick.

Arthur was a Life Member of the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka (WNPS). His passion for conservation, especially of marine life, never left him and he was saddened at the manner in which humans were despoiling the sea. He was particularly distressed at the killing of turtles, porpoises and dolphins and frequently appealed to the authorities to afford these creatures better protection.

With his passing away the Ocean has lost one of its greatest defenders, and the WNPS has lost a strong voice in the cause of conservation. Arthur was always a simple man at heart and left instructions that his funeral should be a secular and unostentatious one devoid of any official or state involvement.

I am sure that Arthur would have appreciated the following lines by Christina Rosetti (1830-1894). so let this be his epitaph.

When I am dead my dearest Sing no sad songs for me;

Plant thou no roses at my head, Nor shady cypress tree,

Be the green grass above me With showers and dew drops wet; And if thou wilt remember,

And if thou wilt forget.

May this compassionate, gentle and humane soul rest in peace.

(This is a lightly edited version of my article which appeared in LORIS 25(1 & 2) June 2008, pages 5 & 6. Courtesy of the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka).