Sunday Times 2
Charles Henry de Soysa: Memories of a great philanthropist
Philanthropists come and go, but his name stands out as one who gave unstintingly; with sincerity, whose word was his bond, who saw far beyond his personal perspective, with a vision which was far ahead of his time.
As March 3, the birth anniversary of Charles Henry de Soysa whose generosity enhanced and enriched the lives of so many people, approaches once again, his descendants and others who have benefitted in one way or another from the unprecedented philanthropy of this amazing man, remember him with appreciation.
Looking back, at what I have heard about his life from my father, his grandson and what I have read, I am aware that his was a life filled with the joy of giving. Religion, agriculture, education and health were the main avenues in his unmatched philanthropy. It was just recently that I heard of another of his generous deeds from another descendant, Professor Indra de Soysa, who till recently was Warden of S. Thomas College, Mount Lavinia. While going through old school records, he had discovered that when S. Thomas’s was going bankrupt, the late CH came to the rescue, by donating funds to save it. He was one of the first students when the school began in other premises.
Although a Christian, Charles Henry donated to and built temples, kovils and mosques as well as churches. He donated the De Soysa Hospital to the country, which has benefitted countless mothers through the years.
He also reached out to the landless, the homeless and gifted land , paddy fields and houses, to a hundred poverty stricken farmers in far-off Walapane, far away from his hometown Moratuwa. His kind heart reached out to whoever was in need, to all parts of the country, irrespective of differences in race, class, political slant or social standing.
He was reputed to be the wealthiest Ceylonese of his time. He lived in an era of peace and prosperity, gracious living, and contentment. He could have lived in an ivory tower; involved only with his kith and kin, inviolable and unconcerned about his fellow men. He did inherit wealth from his father, but his business acumen and astuteness, made him venture into new fields of enterprise and development; which increased his wealth more than triple-fold, which he shared with others. Although he was a pioneer in tea and coffee planting, his inherent wisdom prevented him from investing his entire wealth in these ventures. Thus he was untouched by the coffee crisis. He owned 74 plantations, several valuable residential properties in Colombo, its suburbs and other areas. He shipped his own tea to markets abroad, was the first Ceylonese banker and a founder member of the Ceylon National Congress.
The late Charles Henry’s statue stands tall at De Soysa Circus. Whenever I pass it, I say a silent prayer of blessing for his soul as we, his descendants and the nation too, owe him so much. Every mother, whose child was born at the De Soysa Hospital for Women, has him to thank for what undoubtedly is a national treasure.
He was a rare Ceylonese, in the fact that his philanthropy reached far beyond our shores. The Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, Brompton Hospital, the Royal Free hospital, Victoria Chest Hospital, the Hospital for accidents to Dock labourers, were all richly endowed with donations by him and some of these carry plaques with his name as a benefactor.
Service to God and man seems to have been his motto.