The Kandy Perahera

Winner:

The spectacular, world famous pageant is called the 'Kandy Esala Perahera. This is held to thank the deities for a bountiful harvest and to ask them for sufficient rain for the next crop.

The Kandy Esala Perahera comprises five processions. They are the Dalada Maligawa procession, Natha Devala procession, Katharagama Devala procession, Vishnu Devala procession and the Pathini Devala procession. The main perahera itself is divided into two; the "Kumbal Perahera" and "Randoli Perahera".

During the days of the Kandy Perahera, the city of Kandy is flooded with people who throng here from the four corners of the country and even from abroad.The most significant and highly venerated component of this procession is the Sacred Tooth Relic.

The golden casket containing the Sacred Tooth Relic is carried on the back of a tusker which is attractively caparisoned and also highly trained to carry this casket carefully.

The entire pageant is extremely colourful. It incorporates all aspects of upcountry dancing and showcases our cultural heritage. Each participant takes pride in playing the part assigned to him, with great piety and devotion.

Fathima Hazna Hassan,

Grade 9,

Hindu Ladies' College.

Nature is a gift

Winner:

Nature is God's precious gift to us. Trees, animals, birds, water and air are all part of nature. We are entirely dependent on nature; we cannot live without nature.

Nature makes our life healthy and happy. So, we must not go against nature. We must learn to live close to nature. But some people do not realise the value of nature.

They destroy it in various ways. They cut down trees and kill innocent animals and birds. They also pollute the air.

They dump garbage into water ways. This result is water pollution. When we cut down trees, the result is soil erosion.

Siyasam Mohanraja,

Grade 6,

Oregan International College,

Rakwana.

A rainy day

Winner:

One day when we were getting ready to go shopping it suddenly started to rain. So, we decided to take our umbrellas and go out, but we just couldn't do so. The roads were already flooded and it continued to rain very heavily. Heavy winds were blowing shaking even trees, and at once, our umbrella got blown away. We ran behind the umbrellas. The drains were covered with flood water and as I couldn't see it my leg slipped into a drain. We stopped running behind the umbrella and every one helped me get out of the drain. After the rain stopped, we walked back home. As we didn't have our umbrella we were drenched when we got home. We then decided to send paper boats in the water and had hot tea. It turned out to be a very enjoyable day at the end.

Nethmina Fernando,

Grade 4 Lea,

Alethea School, Dehiwala.

Myself

My name is Sasindu Lakshan. I am eight years old. I live in Peliyagoda.

I study at St. Joseph's College, Colombo 14, in Grade Three. My hobby is reading books and my favourite food is rice.

My mother's name is Renuka. She is a housewife. My father's name is Sunil. He is a businessman. I have a brother. He is also a businessman.

My best friend is Niranjan. I like to play cricket. My ambition is to be a cricketer.

Sasindu Lakshan,

St.Joseph's College,

Colombo.

Enjoy your school life

Winner:

Most of us attend school for our studies and all the other activities, which help improve our knowledge. A school is one of the best places any person can be in. The first time I went to school, I was so amazed to see hundreds of children and teachers. I was a little worried though, because this was the first time I was going to stay without my parents. But, when I saw the way the teachers treated the children, I didn't feel scared or lonely at all.

Teachers are like our parents at school and the students, especially our friends, are like our brothers. We attend school not only to study but also to be educated in many other areas. Mainly we are trained to improve our language and manners. To lead a successful life in school we must try to take part in whatever extra-curricular activities the school provides, make friends with fellow students and be obedient to our teachers.

Think. All you have to do are the above mentioned things to have a pleasant and memorable school life. If you don't, you will regret it for the rest of your lives. That's because you can never get back to school again. This opportunity comes only once in your lifetime. So, be successful in school and it will lead the path to a very happy life.

Haseef Ahamed,

Grade 9C,

Hejaaz International School,

Mt. Lavinia.

Water is life!

Winner:

Water covers almost three-quarters of the Earth's surface. The oceans, with an average depth of over three km, hold about 97 per cent of the world's water.

The clouds of water vapour that have formed in the sky pours down as rain. And when the rain falls, the rivers flow. Plants and animals too thrive. It is a gift given by nature to us. We can obtain water from the sea, rivers, lakes and wells but sea water is salty.

We use water in our homes for drinking, cooking, washing and cleaning. Factories need large amounts of water to manufacture various products.

Water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen. So scientists say that the chemical formula for water is H2O. Water is the most essential thing for us to survive. Without water, we can't live even a day.

Two-thirds of our body too is filled with water. Everyday our body loses lots of water. About a litre is lost as urine and another half a litre or so is lost when we sweat and breathe out in vapour form. So, we need plenty of water each day to stay healthy and alive.

Plants too need water to grow. They usually take it in through their roots. They use water and other chemicals to make the substances needed for their growth.It is evident that without water, there would be no life on Earth.

M. N. F. Shafa,

Grade 4-A, Good Hope International

College,Mawanella.

Autobiography of a cow

I am a gentle four legged animal, with a long, bushy end tail, large beautiful eyes, two ears and a round body. I am black in colour. Some members of my family and friends are either black, brown or white or are spotted and have more than one colour.

I feed on grass, shrubs and leaves. I help people by giving them milk which is considered a complete, wholesome and perfect food. From milk, one can make curd, butter, cream or cheese.

In villages, many people use my dung to coat the mud walls of the houses. My dung keeps the house free from pests. My dried dung is also used as fuel. It is also very good manure for plants. The male of my family is called a bull or an ox. A baby is known as a calf. The males are used to draw carts and plough fields.

I'm a useful animal to all. I am a sacred animal to Hindus and am treated with great respect by them. Some people make use of me and sell me to the butcher when I'm old.

Shahika Refai,

Grade 8B, Al-manar International School.

School gymnastic meet

The Western Province Gymnastic Aerobic Meet was held on June 18 at Panadura Balika Vidyalaya. It was a great day for us as our school gymnasts were also participating. We rushed to school early in the morning and got into the school van. We went with our teachers and our parents. The school auditorium which looked somewhat old but stately had been arranged beautifully for the meet events. First we had to provide our identification cards and get registered. Guests and judges had all taken their seats in the auditorium. They were seated near the stage. The entire auditorium was filled with gymnasts wearing beautiful leotards. The contestants came from various schools in the province.

A teacher delivered the welcome speech advising the contestants to conduct themselves properly as visiting students. After that the gymansts came on stage and displayed their talents performming to their own selection of music before the panel of judges.

The school hall looked like a grand dancing theatre. These lovely gymnasts displayed the flexibility of the wonderful human body. The audience cheered representatives of various schools and encouraged their teams to perform well. We also performed to the best of our ability at all events.

In the evening when it was announced that we, the under fifteen team, have won first place we were thrilled. We bowed and offered our gratitude to our dear coach Sir. Jeewen.

In the night we returned home with great pride after having so much fun.

Yasasi Liyanage,

Grade 8,

Vidyakara Balika Vidyalaya,

Maharagama.