‘My Thoughts’, bringing well-distilled wisdom to anyone’s life
Santhoshini de Zoysa’s book ‘My Thoughts’ is not meant to adorn a coffee table alongside lush volumes on the golden valley of Bogawantalawa, leopards of Wilpattu or our beaches, to be flipped through leisurely.
The tome is rather to be kept by the bedside and imbibed in sips like hot chocolate, dispensing day-to-day wisdom for life in a pithy aphorism for each page, each with a painting to illustrate it.
Recently launched at the Water’s Edge with an exhibition and sale of her paintings, the book is dedicated to Asjitha, Santhoshini’s son.
As a girl at St. Bridget’s, Santhoshini discovered a knack for the arts. At first it was writing she dabbled in: her English teacher at Aquinas, from Kerala, was a tough task master, from whom a C+ was as flattering as ‘scoring a century against the West Indies’ (Santhoshini happily lapses into the parlance of her youth).
But it was from him that the students learnt to be subtle in their word-craft and this has stood Santhoshini in good stead – as we see in the poems that adorn the last pages of the book.
As a girl from a privileged background, belonging to a business clan with a passion for horses running in the family (though herself not an equestrian), ‘Santhosh’ getting into drawing was pure chance.
During COVID in the boredom of her Borella house where horses adorn the walls and the doors and the clocks and the ashtrays, she discovered a supplier in Pettah who delivers artists’ material, and started to explore her latent eye for beauty. It was to be therapeutic too, because she had just lost her mother, Shantha de Zoysa.
The book was born with the idea of aphorisms. In an age when people find reading ‘tedious’, these short memorable phrases would at least have ‘staying power’: she gave herself the target of writing five every day and soon had about hundred.
The main aim of the book is to ‘stop people from getting into a state of social anxiety’ says Santhoshini. By this she means avoiding the disagreements that can make us draw away from society- making us introverted and even ultimately suicidal.
It is basically a guide to surviving in society, keeping one’s equilibrium. “Because if your spirit is not tough you crack up at a particular point of time because (our) environment is so much in disorder… Unless you learn to live in that disorder you cannot face society or face the future.”
The value of this wisdom cannot be overrated. For example there is: “When you can see things from a distance, it is easy to observe and discard”, or: “When you unwind it is for a purpose. So only you know how best you can do it. If you force it on yourself it might make you irritable.” The dedication to Asjitha reads:
“May your senses relish/ The Powers of English/ Let this be your guide/ For an easy ride”.
For Santhoshini puts great store by what you gather via a study of English literature.
It must be added that the book is not ‘preachy’ in any way. What Santhoshini advocates is a ‘practical approach to life’. She does not falter to advise:
‘Sometimes to find out what is going on in another’s mind, use deception.’
At the back of the book is another aphorism: ‘Life’s tribulations are unknown
Face them with a backbone.’
These worthy sentiments would have not been possible, Santhoshini says, without her father A.C. (Bunty) de Zoysa who, though a busy man, throughout his childhood kept aside his ‘face shaving-time’ for “what he called ‘news and views’.”
“They were enlightening moments as we exchanged ideas from our own perspectives. As a parent, he probably probed my mind to understand my thinking process.”
Santhoshini’s art that was exhibited at the launch dealt with issues she wants to educate society in general about; global warming for example or the human-elephant conflict. There were also cyclones, typhoons, deforestation and toxic gases raging through her canvases.
While the sale of art supports a worthy cause, My Thoughts will be an ideal gift – a relaxing companion that will bring well-distilled wisdom to anyone’s life.
Proceeds from the sale of Santhoshini’s art will be donated to the Montessori of the Welikada prison. The book, priced at Rs. 7500, will soon be available at leading bookshops and online.