I have never had so many lumps in my throat on a single day as yesterday,
19 March 2008 - the day that my long standing friend and mentor Sir Arthur
Clarke died.
Yet there was no time for grief or tears in solitude. Literally dozens of
media outlets from Sri Lanka and around the world were calling. Radio and
TV channels wanted soundbytes...some of them live on the air.
And as his spokesman for nearly a decade, I had to be presentable, clear
and cooperative.
My day started at 3 in the morning, barely two hours after his passing
away, with the North American media calling. By the time news had gone round the
world at the speed of light. Everybody wanted to know more - how exactly
did he die (respiratory complications), did he suffer (not for long), was
he conscious to the end (yes, though he couldn't speak due to breathing
tubes), etc, etc.
As the planet rotated, other regions of the world came in. The big wire
services were all there: Reuters, AP, AFP, as were the big broadcasters -
BBC, CNN among them. And then, of course, the Sri Lankan newspapers,
websites, radio and TV channels for whom Sir Arthur was a celebrated local
hero. Everybody wanted exclusive quotes and soundbytes.
And in an 18 hour mediathon, I ensured that everybody did (and kept them
happy, I hope), even if it left me exhausted in the end. I'm back at it
after a few hours of sleep. The process will continue until after his
funeral, now fixed for Saturday March 22 afternoon at Colombo's main cemetery.
Sir Arthur would have approved. He believed that the show must go on, no
matter what. He also wanted us to celebrate, not mourn his passage. And
that's the tone of what I have been saying and doing. He left behind an
imaginative yet plausible sometimes and daring vision for the future - and
now it's for his fans, admirers and the rest of us to create that future.
I've been too close to the unfolding events to blog about them, but I've
just written up the story about Sir Arthur's last video message to the
world that I directed last December. Other reflective pieces would follow. http://movingimages.wordpress.com/2008/03/19/sir-arthur-c-clarke-1917-2008-the-final-goodbye-from-colombo/
In that last video, which is online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qLdeEjdbWE, he signed off in his usual
style: This is Arthur Clarke, saying Thank You and Goodbye from Colombo!
And this is Nalaka Gunawardene, saying Thank You and Goodbye to Sir Arthur.
It was the greatest privilege of my life to have worked with you.
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