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| Sunday, 15 January 2006 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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School essay competition on road safety, a success An Island-wide Schools Essay Competition on Road Safety was conducted recently by the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Education, SweRoad Sri Lanka and the Consultant to the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety. Nearly 1,500 entries were received for the competition conducted in English, Sinhala and Tamil.
The first, second and third place winners in the English medium (12-14 age group) were Lahiru Jayawardana of Mahamaya Girls College, Kandy, Aqueela Najeeb of Methodist College, Colombo 3 and Punsarani Pathinayake Arachchi of Siridhamma College, Galle. Demini Wickramasinghe of Methodist College won a special prize. Ann Julia Motha, Shemana Cassim, Sachintha Bandara and Arunasalam Dhushiyanth, all of Colombo International School, won the first, second, third and special prizes respectively in the English medium 15-17 age group category. The Sinhala medium winners were W.P.P.S.K. Gunarathne of Galagedara Madya Maha Vidyalaya, H.M. Yamuna Vinodani of Halpe Madya Maha Vidyalaya, Badulla and H. Sarantha Madushreen of Rahula Kanishta Vidyalaya, Wattala (12-14). G.I.D. Dilsha Chamani of C.W.W. Kannangara Madya Maha Vidyalaya, Matugama, J.A. Shanika Jayasinhe of Holy Family Convent, Kurunegala and Danushka Paththinigamage of Veyangoda Bandaranayake Madya Maha Vidyalaya were the winners of the 15-17 age group, while D.K. Abeetha Nanayakkara of Wariyapola Sri Sumangala Vidyalaya won the special prize. The 12-14 year old Tamil medium winners were Yoganathan Sasiharan of Thalangudah Sri Vinayagar Vidyalam, Batticaloa, C.S. Niroshan of Hindu College, Batticaloa, P. Doreen Arunthathy of Roman Catholic Tamil Mixed School, Murungan and Thusayini Mahalingam of Thirukkovil M.M.T.M. School (special prize). Swashini Chandramohan of Ramanathan Hindu Ladies College, Colombo 4, P. Sivalakshmy of Vipulananda T.V., Monaragala and Wimalasri Kamalasri of Karuwakerny Vigneswara, Valachchenai were the 15-17 age group winners. The topic for the 12-14 year olds was 'Measures that should be adopted by pedestrians to ensure their safety on the road'. The topic for the 15-17 age group was 'Measures that should be adopted by all drivers and riders to ensure the safety of all road users'. Duvili-Ella to be protected The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) has launched a two-year programme to educate the public about the value of protecting the Duvili-Ella. This scenic waterfall is situated at Kosmulla, about eight kilometres away from Neluwa, Galle. Duvili-Ella falls from a hillock at Kosmulla close to the Sinharaja Forest in Hinidum Pattu, and is a popular destination for local and foreign tourists, as well as environmentalists. As part of this programme, a series of seminars was conducted by the Neluwa Environment Committee under the guidance of the CEA, at the Kosmulla Community Hall recently. The Ministry of Environment in coordination with the Southern Provincial Council has also launched a programme which intends to develop the surroundings of the waterfall, while protecting its natural beauty. Two ponds have been constructed at the lower end of the waterfall while sanitary facilities have been provided for the benefit of those visiting the area. The construction of a circuit bungalow is also under way to further facilitate tourists. Three significant events within a week Sri Lanka is a multi-racial, multi-religious country and three of these religious groups observed important events during the week which ended yesterday. They were the Duruthu Poya, Thai Pongal and Hajj.
The Duruthu Poya, observed by the Buddhist community, fell on January 13, and is the first poya for the year. Duruthu is the Sinhala name for January. The day commemorates the Buddha's first visit to Sri Lanka over 25 centuries ago, nine months after He attained enlightenment. This visit was made to Mahiyangana to restore peace among the Yakkah tribes, the ancient inhabitants of Sri Lanka, who were at war with each other. The Buddha had arrived at the Mahanaga Park on the right bank of the Mahaweli River, just as the war gongs started sounding, and the war drums started beating, signalling the beginning of war. The sight of the stranger in yellow robes had scared the tribesmen, who ran and hid themselves in the jungle. Some of them came out later and met the Buddha, and embraced peace after listening to His sermons. Peace was established in the island and the Buddha returned to India.
Although the stage for this event was Mahiyangana, Duruthu is now associated with Kelaniya, which was hallowed by the third visit of the Buddha. This is where the famous Duruthu Perahera is held every year, to commemorate the Buddha's first visit to Sri Lanka. The poya holds special significance for Buddhists as it's the first poya for the year. Thai Pongal is the merriest and most popular event observed by the Hindus of Sri Lanka. It was celebrated yesterday, January 14, which is the first day of the auspicious month of Thai.
It celebrates the sun, the harbinger of a plentiful harvest. After the wet months of October, November and December, it signifies the arrival of the sun and bounteous crops. This is the time when people clean and renovate their houses (like 'spring cleaning' in the West) and old pots and pans are replaced with new ones. There are many rituals associated with the event, starting with the boiling of a pot of rice at sunrise on the front doorstep of the house, to shouts of "pongal" from family members. The next day is Paddipongal. This event honours the cattle, which play a vital role in agricultural societies. Cows and bulls get a rest on this day. Muslims in Sri Lanka and other parts of the world celebrated Hajj on the 11th. Hajj, the pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca) is central to the Islam religion and is the fifth of the Five Pillars of Islam. The practice dates back to the time of Prophet Abraham and should be followed by Muslims at least once in their lifetime. The journey to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, is made annually by millions of Muslims from all corners of the world. They are brought together to share a "moving spiritual experience". All able-bodied men and women try to make this journey, and although children are not under obligation to do so, many do visit the holy city with their parents. Before setting out on Hajj, pilgrims should set right all wrongs they
had committed, pay all their debts, plan enough funds for the journey as
well as to support the family members left behind and prepare themselves
for good conduct during the pilgrimage.
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