My favourite sports star

If he fails to serve with the bat he will deliver with the ball. This is how the media hails Sanath Jayasuriya, one of the heroes of Sri Lankan cricket. He is the one who revolutionised Sri Lankan cricket. His powerful shots and unique style of batting have made the people around the world take note of our small island in the Indian Ocean.

He is in a position to challenge any talented cricketer in the world.

There may be many reasons for one's choice of favourite cricketer.

The foremost reason for him to be my favourite is that he too was born and bred in Matara, just like me.

He had mastered the basics of cricket at St. Servatius College, Matara where he received his education.

Sanath Jayasuriya is really a sports star of many people.

His outstanding performances have made him a professional player and today he holds many records in cricket. Some of these records will be difficult to break even in time to come.

Even though he is much older than most players, he is healthy and fit enough to face any challenge in the field. The secret behind this is his total commitment to the game.

His retirement will be a bitter blow to the field of sports because he is irreplaceable; no one could match his unique style of batting.

Prabhavi Weerasinghe, Sujatha Balika Vidyalaya, Matara.
 

How we helped elders

It was a pleasant morning. The teachers and the students of Kochchikade Maha Vidyalaya organised a visit to the Elders' Home in Dunagaha.

It is situated in the Gampaha district. We visited this place on a Poya Day. All the Grade Ten students participated in it. All our friends donated gift packs containing soap, milk powder, sugar and tea. We had organised a shramadana and an entertainment programme too.

We reached the place around 8 a.m. The teachers divided the students into ten groups and gave us different tasks to do. Some of us cleaned the garden. After we had pruned the overgrown bushes, we swept the whole compound.

Some of our friends collected the garbage and burnt them. The teachers and some students washed the inmates' clothes.

After they had washed the clothes we put them out on the line to dry. Then we dusted their beds and swept the entire dormitory.

We had brought some packets of biscuits and everything necessary to make tea. Some of the students quickly prepared the tea.

Then all the grandmothers and grandfathers were treated with biscuits and tea. We had a chat with them during tea. They recollected sweet memories of the past. After they had finished their tea, we washed their cups and saucers. One grandfather asked me not to misplace his cup.

The most enjoyable part of the visit was the entertainment programme organised by the teachers. We presented mini dramas, group songs and dialogues. It was very enjoyable.

The grandmamas and grandpapas clapped joyfully. When we sang songs they merrily joined us with their old time favourites. One of the elders related a nice story - "How Gamarala made pittu".

At the end of the programme, one of our teachers delivered the vote of thanks.We left the place at about 3 p.m. saying goodbye to them! I will never forget this experience.

E. Ishanka Madubashinie Anuruddhika, Ng/Kochchikade Maha Vidyalaya,Kochchikade.
 

When will peace dawn?

Sri Lanka has been facing an ethnic war for the past twenty five years. It is referred to as a war between the LTTE terrorists and the Sri Lankan Government. The Tamil terrorists hope to win a separate homeland for themselves by waging this war. The Government wants to preserve the sovereignty of the country and not give into their demand.

This situation has lasted for over a quarter of a century, but yet the problem has not been solved. There have been a ceasefire in between and efforts to bring peace, but the ceasefire has ben used by the LTTE only as an interval to strengthen their forces again and recruit soldiers to their depleted army.

This war has had a drastic negative impact on the country. Both sides have lost so many people; both civilians and soldiers.There are thousands of people in refugee camps in our country and India as a result of this war.

The economy of the country has suffered greatly. People are living in fear and suffering endlessly. The futility of this war, the destruction and suffering it has caused is now being severely felt by the people of the country. Therefore peace is vital if we are to prosper as a nation. There have been several attempts to bring about peace, but all have failed, so far.

If we want to usher in peace in this newly dawned year at least, the people of the country, including the politicians must put aside their differences and unite.It is only through peace that we can have a better society.

The present wave of crime and the rise in violence is because there is no peace in the country.It is only through peace that we can achieve so many things. War brings only misery and suffering.

Ashan Dahanayake, Carey College, Colombo 8.
 

Importance of a dictionary

As Sri Lankans, the mother tongue of many of us is either Sinhala or Tamil. Therefore, to be exposed to the world, we have to learn the English language which is considered to be the link language of the world.

A majority of families in Sri Lanka does not speak much English because they do not know or cannot understand difficult words.

The pronunciation of some words is very difficult. In fact, English can be difficult to learn. As such, every citizen who likes to learn English should have a professional dictionay with him or her. However he/she should first know, how to use the dictionary. Nowadays even for our day to day work, the English language is very essential.

You can buy a variety of dictionaries at bookshops. Some of them are the English and Sinhala dictionary, English and Tamil dictionary and English dictionary, compiled by different people.

There are various authors that write books using difficult words. Because of that, many children who like to learn English need to use a dictionary, but they don't know to select a good dictionary according to their age limit, grades, and so on.

Therefore, I believe that the Education Department should advise schools to educate children on how to choose or buy a dictionary that suits their age and also how to use it.

To be exposed to the highly developing world of the English language, let's get together today. It is important to be able to communicate with each other and think as one - Sri Lankans, to understand each others' culture. The dictionary will be of great use to learn the language. The service of a dictionary is unrivalled.

Ishani Rangana Wickramasinghe, Sailan International School,Negombo.
 

An educational trip to Kandy

I woke up at 3.00 a.m. in the morning to be at school by 5.00 a.m. as we were going on a trip to Kandy. In the meantime my mother prepared my breakfast. I left home by 4.00 a.m. with my father and reached school by 4.45 a.m. Some of my friends had already arrived by then.

We left school sharp at 6.00 a.m. with the blessings of the Triple Gem. Three other classes also joined us on the trip. While we were travelling we sang songs. On the way we had breakfast.

We reached Kandy at around 10 o'clock in the morning.

The first place we visited was Gadaladeniya temple. It is a place where beautiful sculptures done by early skilled sculptors could be seen. We stayed there for half an hour.

The next religious place we went to was Lankatilake Viharaya. We walked through paddy fields to get to Lankatilake Viharaya as it is situated on a rock in the interior. The chief incumbent of the viharaya gave us a brief explanation about this viharaya which was built during the rule of King Buvanekabahu the fourth.

This is a religious place not only for Buddhists, but also for Hindus. The surroundings were very beautiful. Our next visit was to Ambekke Devale which is very famous for wood carvings. One of the guardians of this place explained to us about the exquisite wood carvings.

By looking at those carvings, we could understand how cleverly the early sculptors had performed their work.After worshipping at those religious places, we went to Hotel Hill Top to have our lunch. After having a delicious meal we rested there for one hour and left the hotel at 1.30 p.m.

Finally, we visited the Dalada Maligawa, the sacred place where the Tooth Relic of the Buddha is placed. It was the third time that I visited the Dalada Maligawa.

Having worshipped at the Dalada Maligawa we left Kandy. We could not visit the Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya as there was no time to do so.

We reached school at about 8.30 p.m.

It was a very enjoyable trip and we learned so much from this trip.

Chathura Samaraweera, Lyceum International School,Nugegoda.
 

My trip to Nuwara-Eliya

I went to Nuwara-Eliya during the last August holidays. My parents, my grandmother, my sister and I went on this trip. We saw many tea estates by the side of the winding roads. We saw beautiful waterfalls too.

In Nuwara-Eliya there were plenty of vegetable farms. The botanical garden at Hakgala was full of beautiful flowers. We saw several monkeys there.

We stayed in a small hotel the first day. The next day we visited the Ambewela Dairy Farm. On our way back to Colombo, we visited a tea factory. I love to go to Nuwara-Eliya again.

Himeth Wimalagunaratne, Mahanama College,Colombo 3.
 

Mother Nature

Nature is very beautiful,
It makes everything wonderful,
It gives so much freshness
And brings us happiness

The morning sky and the night sky,
The scenery, plants and trees,
Protects Mother Earth
And makes her very attractive

The sunlight, moonlight and rain water,
Are very useful for every creature
We need air, water and food,
To survive in this world

Let every creature,
Enjoy nature
Join the venture,
To save Mother Nature.

Shakoora Sahib, Ilmal International Girls' School.