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Subject:
EGOGRAM 2005
From:
"Sir Arthur C Clarke"
Date: Tue, January 18, 2005 12:21 am
To: bircanunver@lightmillennium.org
EGOGRAM
OF SIR ARTHUR C. CLARKE - 2005
Sir
Arthur C. CLARKE lost His beloved Pepsi on April 6, 2004.
Photo:
Bircan Ünver, December 20, 2002, Colombo
Friends, Earthlings, ETs -- lend me your sensory organs!
2004
was a quiet year until its last week. I am enormously
relieved that my family and household escaped the tsunami
that hit most coastal areas of Sri Lanka on Boxing Day.
But many others were not so fortunate. For millions of
Sri
Lankans and a large number of foreign tourists, the day
after Christmas was
a living nightmare reminiscent of The Day After Tomorrow.
My heart-felt sympathy goes out to all those who lost
family members or friends.
Among those who directly experienced the waves were my
staff based at
our diving station Scuba Safari in Hikkaduwa, and my holiday
homes in Kahawa
and Thiranagama -- all beachfront properties in the south.
We are grateful
that we didn't lose anyone - but some of our survivors
relate harrowing
accounts of what happened. All our diving equipment and
boats at Hikkaduwa
were washed away.
This
is indeed a disaster of unprecedented magnitude for Sri
Lanka, which lacks
the resources and capacity to cope with the aftermath.
We are encouraging
friends to contribute to the relief efforts launched by
various national
and international organisations. I can recommend the local
charity Sarvodaya,
www.sarvodaya.org.
Peace
in Sri Lanka has been my number one wish for many years
-- there is now
renewed hope that the lashing from the seas will finally
convince everyone
of the complete futility of war. I am optimistic that
the New Year will
bring better news.
Although I am completely wheel-chaired (even walking a
few paces with leg-braces
and <two> helpers tires me) otherwise I'm feeling
fine -- both eating
and sleeping well. And dealing with the couple of hundred
emails, faxes
and cards for my 87th birthday (December 16) has exhilarated
rather than
exhausted me.
I
also realized that December marked the 50th anniversary
of my own personal
"discovery" of Sri Lanka (Ceylon). It was in
December 1954 that I had
my first glimpse of the island from out at sea. The P&O
liner Himalaya, which
was carrying me to the Great Barrier Reef, paused at the
Colombo Harbour
for half a day. I came ashore, and had a quick tour of
Colombo with diver
and zoologist the late Rodney Jonklaas. He infected me
with his enthusiasm
for the Indian Ocean and I came back a year later. The
story of our
first expedition is in The Reefs of Taprobane (1957),
which has recently
been reprinted.
In
June I lost my beloved Chihuahua Pepsi; she was 12 years
old, which isn't
bad for a tiny dog. That void was filled by another Chihuahua
Dainty, who
lasted only a few months. No more dogs for me -- I have
wept at too many
little graves. But I demand hound-hugging rights for all
the canine companions
of my friends (first priority: Chihuahuas and Ridgebacks).
My
adopted family - Hector, Valerie, Cherene, Tamara
and Melinda Ekanayake -
are keeping well. Hector has been looking after me since
1956, and with his
wife Valerie has made a home for me at 25, Barnes Place.
Cherene graduated
this year and may return to Australia to pursue a higher
degree in
2005.
Brother
Fred, Chris Howse, Angie Edwards and Navam Tambayah look
after my affairs in England - and, as they have done for
many years, my agents David Higham
Associates and Scovil, Chichak, Galen deal with rapacious
editors and
media executives. I have given them a general directive:
No reasonable offer
even considered.
I
am also well supported by my staff and take this opportunity
to thank them
all:
Executive Officer: Nalaka Gunawardene
Personal Assistant: Rohan De Silva
Secretary: Dottie Weerasooriya
Valets: Titus, Saman & Chandra
Drivers: Lalith & Anthony
Domestic Staff: Kesavan, Ramani, Jayasiri &
Gunawardene
Gardener: Premasiri, Jagath
I receive a new media proposal almost every day: it's
nice to be wanted, except by INTERPOL... However, now that
I have reluctantly accepted my limitations of time and
energy, most enquirers receive my 'Kindly Drop Dead' reply
form.
Herewith
my current obligations, which are not really as demanding
as it may appear, since almost all the work is
already done - at least as far as <my> part is concerned:
SCHEDULE
BOOKS
THE
LAST THEOREM (co-authored)
A
TIME ODYSSEY (with Stephen Baxter) comprising:
NOVA
( Ballantine Books, Gollancz)
WOLFLINGS
MOVIES/MEDIA
RENDEZVOUS
WITH RAMA (Morgan Freeman: Revelations Entertainment)
CHILDHOOD'S
END (Universal/Beacon)
THE
FOUNTAINS OF PARADISE (Vikas/Phillips)
A
FALL OF MOONDUST (Vikas/Phillips)
MAELSTROM
TWO (I.L.M.)
ASTOUNDING
DAYS
Arthur C. CLARKE
8 January 2005
Colombo - Sri
Lanka
--
A Tribute for Sir Arthur C. CLARKE's 87th Birthday
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