The ideal way to grow old
View(s):Once again senior journalist and author D.C. Ranatunga has chosen to write about an illustrious person adding one more book to his popular series, “A Handy Guide”.
This time it’s the most versatile children’s author and illustrator of our time Sybil Wettasinghe. Titled ‘Lovable Aththamma’, the book has been released on her 86th birthday. To all those who know Sybil, she is not 86 years old but 86 years young!
Sybil must be every person’s ideal way to grow old- that is to never grow old in your thinking. She is so full of life and imagination, just like a child. She reveals this in her own words in “The Child in Me” (1995)
“ My childhood I lived in a wonderland of birds that spoke and flowers that sang.
The swirling winds around me danced holding hands with me in a trance.
Sometimes the moon dropped down the stars to keep me happy through the nights.
Those enchanting dreams are still alive in some part of my mind, here lives the child.
A wonder child lives in all of us in deep sweet slumber but is often lost.
Awaken those charms for a while anew amidst the weary ageing strains. The dream child in you will sooth your pains.”
This is indeed a very powerful message, a message to the world that even kids are made to lose their childhood. See the variety of reality shows where we make adults out of our children making them do what we adults consider “sweet” and “cute”. By our adult dreams we spoil the spontaneous charm of children.
In this book DCR has reproduced a number of articles he had written on Sybil. He reveals his association with her from their journalistic times at Lake House.
“I started doing a column on the arts, ‘Kala Korner’ in the Sunday Times in the late 1990s. By then Sybil had become an international star. She was being recognised as a highly talented writer and illustrator of children’s books. Her books were being translated into several languages, mainly Japanese. She was constantly in the news. Either she wins an award at an international book event or launches a new book or holds an exhibition… if not she participates at numerous children’s gatherings on invitation. I had “good copy’ for my column. These form the bulk of this booklet says DCR.
In this book we can also read a very personal poem written by Sybil recalling the last moments of her husband Dharma.
“I remember the first time
You pressed my hand
Shy, uncertain, vacillating
You thought you were wrong
You asked me to marry you
I read it in your eyes
I answered “yes” not in words
You read it in my eyes…
Minutes before you passed away
You pressed my hand again
Fearless, firm, reassuring
And then you were gone
I looked into your eyes
You gazed into space
A vacant wordless blank
I read nothing’’
This moving poem brings out a completely different Sybil, not the dreaming child but a person who has realised deep meanings of life who is able to look at herself so clearly.
This book also traces another aspect of Sybil’s writing career, that is writing books on invitation to promote various social causes such as safety, understanding between ethnic groups, coast conservation, leadership, fundamental rights and even to campaign against corruption, child abuse etc.
If you are an adult this book will re-kindle your desire to go and grab those books by Sybil and enjoy the story and see the details of the paintings in them. Laughing cars, giggling trees, dancing flowers and most importantly, the various characters who live only in Sybil’s world. This book also reminds us of the need to recognise and appreciate the contribution Sybil has made and continues to make in improving the beautiful world of children.
Book facts
‘Lovable Aththamma’ by D.C. Ranatunga. Reviewed by Deepal Sooriyaarachchi