Down Memory Lane

Her green, green grass of home

By Roshan Peiris

Sybil recalls her childhood days spent at Gintota, in the suburbs of Galle within walking distance of the Ginganga.

"My home, a green haven was full of woodapple, orange, olive, mango and kitul trees. These fruits, I recall vividly were the joy of my childhood," she says.

When she was six she was brought to Colombo to learn English, with her brother who was three years younger.

"My father's mother (Aththamma) who was then my best friend and confidante lived in our ancestral home next door. It was from her I learnt to tell stories, learnt folklore and lullabies which I still recall. My grandmother would feed me my favourite food- rice and honey. So when I went home I couldn't eat. It was granny's secret and mine. My mother was worried thinking I was sick or had worm trouble and called in the Vedamahaththaya!"

Their home was small but comfortable. Her father being a house- builder was asked to plan and build a beautiful compact house. Her mother's hobby was making lace curtains, with designs of rabbits and peacocks. The chair back- covers were beautifully embroidered as were the bedroom pillows, which seemed too good to sleep on, Sybil recalled.

"My mother had an urban upbringing, so she cut my hair, to be fashionable as well as clean. I was sad, very sad to lose my pigtails," she said.

"My Aththamma went to bed early and never allowed anyone to break jak and del from her trees, while she slept. My mother had a mischievous streak in her, so in the night while Aththamma slept my mother became the queen of the night. At her command Babun Appu Aiya, our neighbour, scaled a tall jak tree. Hooked to his waist was a knife and rope which he tied to the stem of a jak fruit. Then he cut the stem and lowered the fruit gently so as not to make a noise. The family then enjoyed a bellyful of boiled jak, sambol and coconut. It was a marvellous midnight feast. 

"As kids, we were happy to keep awake and sing to the beautiful silver moon," Sybil says wistfully.

She went to school at the age of three, walking the short distance barefoot in a chintz frock. On the way she was joined by her friends Sita and Premawathie. The school near a tributary of the Ginganga had white sand and a big bamboo grove.

"I was keen to spend time alone in the bamboo grove hearing the rustling of the leaves which enthralled me. But my friends never left me alone. So I pulled out my gold earring, buried it, where I could find it and went to class. The teacher noticed my lost earring and sent me to search for it. Just what I wanted. I went back, found my earring and sat there in the grove savouring the sounds before slowly making my way to class! So I had my way."

Her aunt from Panadura, scolded her mother for sending Sybil to school in a chintz dress, with no socks and shoes. She brought her a dress full of frills from top to bottom, a pair of socks and shoes and a huge bow for her hair. 

"I was shy to wear what I thought were odd clothes. Half way to school I threw the socks and shoes into a bush in the thicket. My large bow I put into the water and watched it float.

"At Holy Family Convent Bambalapitiya later my brother wet his pants through fear, seeing the nuns. We were also asked never to speak in Sinhala. Art was not taught but my class teacher Eileen Dissanayake seeing my drawings encouraged me and said, "One day you will be a great artist". She contributed sketches to the newspapers but not under her name.

Sybil did not go in for higher studies. But instead took to art. Her father took some of her sketches for an exhibition at the Ceylon Society of Arts, and H.D. Sugathapala and wife - he was Headmaster at Royal - were so taken up that he asked her to illustrate the Nava Maga series of books.

Martin Wickremasinghe, then Editor of the Dinamina liked Sybil's sketches and praised them. This was when Sybil began her career as an illustrator, combined with writing for children. She was then only 15.

After a time D.B. Dhanapala and Julius de Lanerolle asked her to join the Lankadeepa as a children's page writer and illustrator. She next joined the Janata at Lake House as an artist at the request of Denzil Peiris.

"All the editors liked my sketches and drawings and so I drew for all the Lake House papers. I worked there for 20 years.

"I met my husband Don Dharmapala Wettasinghe at the Janata and he said he fell in love with my drawings first and then with me!

She says she starts and ends her day with prayers - the Pali gathas her mother taught her. Sybil lives quietly writing, cooking and travelling. She has two sons, two daughters and five grandchildren.

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