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by Ilica Malkanthi Karunaratne

As the commemoration of Charles Henry de Soysa's birth anniversary comes along, each year, our thoughts go back to him and all he did, as a philanthropist. Even as far back as in his lifetime, he thought far beyond the peripheries of race, caste and religion and helped each and everyone who needed his help, irrespective of these divisions.

The time he lived in was a different world to ours. A time of gracious living, peace and contentment. In spite of his great wealth, he did not live in an ivory tower, serene, inviolable and far removed from less fortunate beings and reality. I wonder what he would have thought of the world as it is today. We live today in a world where corruption reigns supreme, amidst constant danger from violence, plunder, rape and fire; a desire for conquest, an urge for conflict, often resulting in the desolation of loss. Peace to us is a flimsy, tenuous thing, clinging to a crumbling fabric. To us, death and destruction is an everyday experience, living as we do, in such a turbulent scenario.

Charles Henry de Soysa, whose life reads like an incredible fairytale, was not one who gave as he did, to gain fame or publicity. He inspired those who worked for him, to contribute meaningfully to their role in his enterprises, and insisted on punctuality, integrity and dedication. It has been said that he kept ten percent of his income for contributions to various religions, and used most of the rest for the development of his vast interest.

There are many legends related time and time again, both within the family and outside it; associated with him. Many of them were told to me by my father, his grandson. My father, being an extremely busy doctor, had only rare moments of leisure. But when he did, I used to sit on his lap, listening wide-eyed with rapt attention to these tales. One was that, at the precise time that Greatgrandpa Charles Henry was born, on the 3rd of March, 1836, at just before 10 p.m. a cock had crowd. We are all aware that this is not be normal time for the crowing of cocks. It was later translated to mean that a very fortunate person must have been born at that time.

Another legend is that when his father, Jeronis de Soysa, purchased his first estate in Hanguranketha, which he later proceeded to plant with coffee, he had found some buried treasure, which led to the beginning of his wealth. This is said to be only partly true, as apparently, he did find a large receptacle of gold under a massive stone slab there. But Jeronis had insisted on putting it back, and went on to put more soil on the slab, and to erect a pillar to support a building which he built above it. He had firmly told the labourers working on it that it was inappropriate to take this treasure which did not belong to him and that bad luck would befall him if he did take it.

Other legends include one which says that C.H. de Soysa, while out riding on his horse one day, had come across a woman in labour, crying out in pain on the road side. He immediately saw to it that she had swift medical aid, and it was this that inspired him to build The De Soysa Maternity Hospital, which has proved a boon to so many women through the years. Still another says that all of us, his descendants, have been blessed with easy childbirth, due to this generous gesture.

My favourite story about my revered ancestor, is one I used to plead with my father to repeat time and again. This was about the banquet he held in honour of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, when he visited. Ceylon in April, 1870. 'Alfred House' was specially built just before this visit and the prince and his entourage were served on plates of pure gold with cutlery encrusted with precious stones. It is sad for all of us that what remains of this palatial and historic mansion no longer belongs to the family, and that there are just a few pieces of the crockery and cutlery.

The other interesting legend about him is about his death. When he was ailing with his fatal illness, he had shifted from 'Alfred House' back to De Soysa Walauwa, Moratuwa. One night, he had dreamt that some of the animals he loved, who were at' Alfred House' were dying. He asked his wife to send someone to Colombo to check on his pets. The story was confirmed that they were indeed very ill and dying. His sorrow knew no bounds and he had told his wife that his end too was near. He died shortly after; his wife and children, except for three sons who were at Cambridge at the time and his eldest daughter, who was expecting a bady, were at his bedside. The story goes that he spoke to them all. It is interesting to note that although he sent all his sons to Cambridge, they lived their lives like Victorian gentlemen. Perhaps if he had lived longer, this would not have been so. He saw to it though, that his daughters all married professionals, and most of his sons-in-law achieved fame, and reached great heights in their respective professions.

Charles Henry de Soysa, developed what he inherited from his father, and soon owned land in the Central, North Western, Western and Southern Provinces, cultivated with coffee, coconut, cinnamon and citronella. He gave ten thousand sterling pounds and 87 acres in Kanatte, to the State for a model farm. His largesse to one and all was wide and varied and reached out to all parts of the country. This includes gifting paddy fields and houses to 100 poverty stricken farmers in Walapane, building several churches and temples, Hindu kovils and Tamil schools in Jaffna, The De Soysa Hospital for Women, hospitals in Lunawa, Marawila and Panadura the Medical Research Institute, Prince and Princess of Wales Colleges in Moratuwa; all these were built and endowed by him. He did not build the Eye Hospital, but gave a sizable donation to it. One of his 14 children was my grandmother, Julie, who married my grandfather, Dr. W.H. de Silva, who was the first doctor at the Eye Hospital, Colombo. His philanthropy reached outside Sri Lanka too. The Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, Brompton Hospital, Royal Free Hospital, Victoria Chest Hospital, the hospital for accidents to dock labourers all benefited through his generosity. My father, while doing an internship at The Great Ormond Stret hospital, was most pleasantly surprised to see his grandfather's name on a plaque, stating his generosity.

We live today, in another age, another time. But his example is an inspiration to one and all. He was a path finder with a vision far beyond his time, who blended economic progress with human welfare.

He combined the desire for economic success with deep personal concern for everyone he met on his journey through life. Land reform has robbed us of most of the lands he planted with such love and passed on to our parents and grandparents. The fact that he is still spoken of and revered today, as one of our country greatest philanthropists, shows that his spirit does linger on despite this materialistic and violent age we live in.

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