The mighty sea surrounding our country

Winner:

Sri Lanka is surrounded by the sea. In some places such as in Chilaw, the edge of the sea has corals. Then the waves break on them and spray the water upwards. This is a very eye-catching scene. But, in some places like Hikkaduwa we can even bathe and wade up to the corals. Corals are actually aquatic animals which live at the bottom of the sea. When they die they form the hard corals we see. Some people try to break these corals. It destroys the beauty of nature and even harms the coastline.

Even though we are surrounded by water, we cannot drink even a drop of the sea water as it tastes salty. Fishermen earn their living from the sea. In Hambantota and Puttalam people obtain salt by letting the water evaporate from sea water which is collected. So, the sea is a good natural resource for many people living along the coastal belt.The most fascinating scene we see when we go to the beach in the evening is the sunset. We see the sun like a golden-red ball being swallowed by the sea. We all think that the sea is a good, kind, beautiful thing of nature. But, without considering good or bad, rich or poor, young or old, the mighty sea destroyed many people by a tsunami - the tidal wave which came from the sea. I think the sea is a hungry monster which lies peacefully at times and swallows people when it's hungry and angry.

Sometimes so rough,

Sometimes so calm

Sometimes so sweet

Sometimes so wicked

This is the nature of the SEA

Gimhani Upeksha Waduge,

Grade 9 - B (English Medium),

Carmel Girls' Central College,

Chilaw.

Preserving natural resources

Winner:

Natural resources play an important role in any country. They are a gift given by nature. Some of these natural resources are water, forests, waterfalls, seas, rivers etc. They make a country beautiful and also play an important role in the existence of human beings. Some natural resources are used to develop the country. With such resources a country becomes economically developed. So, it is our duty to protect and preserve natural resources. We should not pollute, especially water resources by throwing garbage into them, releasing chemicals, bathing animals and so on.

When we visit places that contain natural resources such as waterfalls, mountainous terrain and hills, we should not do any damage to any of these resources. We should abstain from throwing polythene, empty cans and bottles in such places. We have heard about lots of incidents where such natural resources have been polluted, through the newspapers, radio and television. Some valuable places like jungles and forests are also destroyed by cutting down trees and cleaning these places for agricultural and trade purposes. If we destroy jungles it affects human beings and animals. By destroying jungles and forest we may interrupt the weather pattern too.

Waterfalls and rivers are beautiful scenic places in the country, we should be proud of. Many foreigners are attracted by them and the country gets an income from them. As children, we too have to protect these natural resources for the future generations. It is everyone's responsibility to protect natural resources.

D.U. Dilakshini Abeywickrama,

Grade 8,

MR/St. Thomas' Girls' High School,

Matara.

Drug menace in Sri Lanka

Winner:

Drug abuse has become a burning problem to the Sri Lankan society. Drug addiction in the country has been rapidly and unimaginably increasing over the past years. Indiscriminate use of herbal preparations such as cocaine, heroin and ganja is known as drug abuse.

In modern times, many children, and youth have taken to drugs. It is very easy to spread this among young schoolgoing children because they are at an age where they have suddenly become very interested in experimenting.There are various kinds of drugs that are very popular in the market such as LSD, cannabis, heroin and cocaine. By selling these drugs secretly many drug peddlers become very rich.

Once a person starts to take these dangerous drugs, he/she becomes addicted to them. Eventually drug addicts become very ill and some cannot even recognise their own family members. Others commit suicide or get caught up in various crimes because they are not in their proper senses.Many people develop an imbalanced personality due to drugs and this could lead to even loss of employment. Such a loss could affect the entire family economically, creating numerous problems within the family.Drug abuse can also lead to many health problems too such as heart-attacks and breathing difficulties. Stringent laws should be introduced to stop this menace. The State cannot do this alone. All non-governmental organisations, and the public should join hands to wipe out this menace from our country. Let's strive for a drug-free Sri Lanka!

Chathuka Bandara,

Grade 9,

Ceylinco Sussex College,

Kurunegala.

Value of sports

Winner:

Sports is a very good form of exercise for the body. Sports keeps us healthy and strong.

As school children we love to do various sports. Even differently-abled children like to do sports. Sports gives us a lot of joy and it is also a source of entertainment.

It's an interesting and useful free time activity. It gives us both mental and physical exercise. There are many advantages that we can gain by doing sports. We can become strong and active and have a pleasant appearance. It is said that all work and no play makes one dull. It's important to maintain a balanced state of mind and body through sports.

Sports is very important not only to maintain a healthy body, but also to build up good qualities such as team spirit, co-operation, unity and leadership. It's a good way to maintain a healthy relationship with everyone. It also helps us to maintain good, social, mental and physical well-being. Sports is a part of life, so we should engage in sports as much as possible.

S. Sindu Shamini,

Grade 10,

R/Rathnaloka

Maha Vidyalaya,

Rakwana.

Development of medicine

Winner:

The practice of medicine is based on diagnosis and treatment. Hundreds of years ago, the physician felt the pulse of a person and came to various conclusions about his/her illnesses. A physician had only a few instruments to diagnose a disease. Within the last hundred years however, medical technology has developed vastly. Now, the physician has sophisticated medical instruments to diagnose most diseases. The X-ray machine that was invented in 1895, has now come into regular use. It was invented by Whilhelm Rontgen. With the help of this machine, the doctors are able to see the inside of the body and diagnose diseases. Now there are more sophisticated scanning machines too.The ECG machine was invented during the last century. It is used to find out how the heart works. The damage brought about by a heart attack can be measured through this machine. Modern technology is able to support failing organs. Ventilators are used to maintain oxygen levels to assist breathing.

Medical science and technology has developed so much that surgeons even transplant organs from one body to another. Today it is a well established operation that is carried out in hospitals.

K. Nifaza Sanoon,

Grade 8 - C,

Muslim Ladies' College,

Colombo 4.

My hobbies

There are many hobbies such as collecting stamps, reading story books, watching television, bird watching, playing netball or some other games gardening and painting. Among them my hobbies are reading story books, watching television, playing netball and chess.

Reading story books is my favourite hobby. By reading books I can gain knowledge. I have read Hathpana, Magulkema, Madol Duwa and Hinseraya. Watching television is an another hobby I like. I watch mostly cartoons and teledramas. Tikiri Hapannu is my favourite teledrama. By watching television I can learn many things.

Netball is a very interesting game and I want to play it at competition level and win. Playing chess is an another hobby I enjoy. It needs a lot of concentration and I like this board game a lot.

D. K. Gavithri Dilesha Amarasinghe,

Grade 7-P,

Ke/Dudley Senanayake Central College, Tholangamuwa.

Wholesome food for good health

Good health helps us to keep our bodies and minds in a fit state. Good food plays a key role in good health. Proteins, calcium, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, water, fibres and fats help our bodies to become strong and healthy. Sugars and starch are all carbohydrates. Fats are good insulators. It helps animals keep warm. Fats have a great deal of energy and so it makes an ideal food store.

Various types of food items are available today. As we know there are two different types of food that we take in; they are fast food and healthy food. Fast food is the type of food which contains different types of food chemicals and also a large amount of oil and fat. Fast food is the most convenient type of food that is available around the world because it could be easily made, than homemade foods, which are healthy. Some of the different types of chemicals in fast food could be harmful to our bodies.

When all such chemicals get together in our bodies they make us weak and sometimes we could even contract different kinds of dangerous diseases.

Healthy food is mostly prepared in our own homes. As we know healthy food does not contain any type of chemicals harmful to our bodies.

Fresh green vegetables, fresh fruits and different kinds of leaves that we take as food in our day-to-day lives are healthy food. Too much of salt in our food could damage our kidneys. But salt is also important because it makes nerves in our body work.

There are other ways through which our health could be destroyed. Smoking, consuming alcohol and taking harmful drugs are three of them.To have good health we also need to do exercises. If we have good health we can have a good memory and a better future.

Gayanda Madurapperuma,

Year 7B,

Sri Lankan School Muscat,

Sultanate of Oman.