Expressions

Nargis - a powerful natural disaster

A natural disaster is a sudden occurrence causing loss of lives and great damages to property. The Nargis disaster is one such example. Nargis was a huge cyclone that happened in Myanmar. It caused severe damage to property, killed more than 80,000 people and injured many. Over 41,000 people are missing.

It was the most serious cyclone that hit Asia after 1991. It caused more damage to Myanmar than the tsunami disaster did. The people living in that country are faced with many hardships following this disaster. Now the country is protected by the Armed Forces.

Unfortunately there are serious problems in getting aid across to Myanmar. This powerful cyclone which blew through the Iravadi River valley at 190 km per hour, destroyed 95 per cent of people’s properties and lives in that area. However, as in the tsunami disaster, this too will be forgotten with time.

As Sri Lankans who have also experienced similar disasters, we realise the difficulties of our neighbours and empathise with them. But, we cannot do anything to ease the pain of those who have lost their loved ones, but we could certainly do something to ease the burdens of the living who are suffering today.

I wish that there will not be any such disasters again, in Myanmar or anywhere else for that matter.

Sameera Harshani Amarakoon, Grade 9F,Mayurapada Central College, Narammala.
 

I enjoy writing...

Writing is one of my favourite hobbies. It keeps me occupied.A person should have the freedom to write freely about his/her own thoughts.

This makes life interesting.I write poetry, essays and stories in my free time. This increases my knowledge, language and spelling. It also helps me to look at and think about things more deeply and seriously.

You should able to describe and write anything that comes to your mind. That is the ideal method of writing.

Today, writing has become part of my life. And I am very happy with my work. Sometimes, writing can help ease worried minds. You should read a lot to be able to write well. Reading is the base for writing.

Everyone is born for some purpose and he or she should strive to fulfil it. I am doing what I think is my purpose, writing.

F. Azra Ziauddin, Grade 7, Minaret High International Girls’ School.

Family - the foundation of life

Even though the family is the smallest unit in society, it is very important because it’s the place where an individual’s character and moral development begins.

One’s family background and the relationship between the family members and himself/herself greatly affects in the development of that person, as the family is the place where its foundation is laid.

Everyone has a childhood spent either with one’s family, a guardian or in an institution, for the orphaned. Some have pleasant memories because of supportive families, while others have unpleasant memories due to unsupportive families or ill-treatment and neglect at the hands of guardians and others.

The way a person spends his/her childhood and the experiences he/she gathers during that time plays a major role in his/her life. Someday, when he/she goes out into society, everything is viewed from the guidelines given by the family.

A child taken care of by a good-mannered family, always receives love, care, kindness and concern. He/she is also taught good manners, good morals and principles. The child who always observes and experiences the proper behaviour of his/her parents is encouraged to follow in their footsteps as adults.

When the child grows up he/she will turn out to be a kind, thoughtful, sensitive, well-mannered person undoubtedly. He/she will hold out a helping hand to anyone in need without backing away.

But a child who has experienced an unpleasant childhood without any love, care, affection or any proper guidance and education from the family, and is subjected to humiliation by adults would turn out to be a careless and insensitive person.

Sometimes such an experience could lead to more dangerous and violent acts as adults; a person who has received no love, care and guidance won’t hesitate to harass, blackmail, kidnap and even murder people.

However, some children, despite the hardships they undergo in their childhood from their families, concentrate hard on their studies and achieve success through sheer determination.

By all this, we can come to the conclusion that our future depends on how good our family is. So, it is important to spend time with our families, caring for each other, obeying parents and elder siblings, studying well, practising good habits and treating every one with respect.

It’s important to build a strong relationship between us and our family members as it will help us to realise all our goals and be successful. It will also give us strength to guide our own families and everyone else to a better nation through good deeds and qualities.

Saumya Senarathne, Grade 9,Sirimavo Bandaranaike Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo 7.

Little England to my senses

The smell that lingers on the way to Little England
The smell of pine, leeks and flowers
Is sweet to my nose, like a bouquet of roses

The sound of water flowing down
Trickling down to the ground
Is music, sweet music, to my ears

Melfort, Warwick and Pedros
The tea plantations like green carpets
Are beautiful, so beautiful to see

The houses on the hills
When looked at a distance
Look like sheep, white sheep on a field
The weather’s very nice and cold
Gives us a different experience
Of weather not hot and humid

The taste of juicy strawberries
Of thirst quenching teas
Tastes really good and nice

Tabitha Abraham, Grade 7D, Bishop’s College, Colombo.

Our service

We, as children have numerous important things to do,
In fact, the list is endless,
It has got a name, a very special one, indeed,
And its called ‘OUR SERVICE!

First and foremost, we must respect and obey elders,
We must also have peace in our hearts and minds
Also, a place for everyone we know in our hearts,
Such good deeds bring us joy and peace.

Secondly we must do things well,
and achieve our goals,
And learn from mistakes, as we progress
Make unity the king of the world,
And as brothers and sisters, live in harmony.

We must also serve our country,
And become good citizens,
But the question now is “Where is PEACE...
And why is VIOLENCE, the devilish ruler of the world?”

Sewmini Peiris, Grade 6, Lyceum International School, Nugegoda.

Importance of learning English

English, as you and I know has become a powerful language in the world today.

However, in ancient times, people communicated mostly by using pictures, signs and so many other methods. Languages evolved into what they are now step by step as man developed his mind.

With time, English became the main international language and today it is the key to success, the international arena and the password to the IT world (Information Technology).

We need to learn English mostly because nowadays a majority of the books of knowledge are written in English. If we don’t have a proper knowledge of the English language we can’t gain the knowledge we need to improve our lives.

Even when we enter an institute of education or the universities, some of the classes will be conducted in English and even the books used for reference would be in English. So if we are not familiar with the language, we cannot study in such places where the medium of teaching is English.

Today the whole world has been globalised and we need English to be a part of it. Otherwise, we will be left out and be like frogs in the well. In order to use the computer or get access to the internet and other websites we should know English to understand all the valuable information.

So now you can understand the value of English. I hope all of you will learn English well in order to face the future with courage.

Chathurangi Palliyaguruge, Grade 8-A, Musaeus College, Colombo.
 

A visit to the zoo

Recently my parents took my sister and me to the zoo. We bought the tickets at the entrance and went in. First we saw the ostrich. My sister was so excited. Then we went to the aquarium. I saw the largest freshwater fish. I read all the names of the fish displayed in the aquarium.

Next we went to see the reptiles. There were many varieties of reptiles. My sister was scared, but my mother said that since they are inside glass enclosures, they cannot do any harm to anyone of us.

We also went to see the birds and butterflies. There were a variety of butterflies and they were drinking nectar from the flowers. We also saw the big cats, tigers and lions. We spent quite sometime looking at the lions who were moving about very fast. But their cage was too small for them. We saw bears too. By the time we finished seeing these animals we were tired.

So we had tea and started on our tour in a little while. We then saw the elephants. The Sri Lankan or Asian elephants and the African elephants were different. The elephants were later taken to perform at the elephant dance held in the evenings. It was so nice. All the people enjoyed their performance and clapped after each act they performed.

Finally we went to see the zebras and the giraffes. I was sad that there weren’t any penguins at the zoo. Then we came back to the entrance, ending a beautiful afternoon. It was indeed a wonderful outing.

Amani Gaffoor, Grade: 4 (Local),Royal Institute, Havelock Town.
 

My school

My school is St. Mary’s College, Matugama. It is a leading school in Matugama, situated in the heart of the town. There are classes from grade one to grade thirteen.

The principal is Mrs. M. A. A. Abeyratne. There are about eighty teachers in the staff. The school is clean and beautiful. The students have a lot of facilities such as a well equipped library, a science laboratory, a computer unit, a playground and a well kept home science room.

There are four houses in my school. They are named Shakthi, Bakthi, Deepthi and Keerthi. The school has produced many good citizens in our motherland.

I love my school very much.

Thisari Imesha Kannangara, Grade 6-E, St. Mary’s College, Matugama.