Let’s ensure equal rights

Winner:

We celebrate Children’s Day on October 1 in Sri Lanka even though the day designated for Universal Children’s Day by the United Nation is November 20.

I think this is one of the greatest and happiest days in our lives, because it shows how well our rights have been granted. Our parents have fulfilled all our basic needs and wants without any hindrance. Material comforts, love, affection, a good education and protection are provided by our parents. They devote their time and wealth to give us a good life.

However, how many of us lead a joyful childhood? Millions of children all over the world face severe hardships and sufferings due to poverty, hunger, malnutrition, child labour, diseases and abuse. Many children, even in Sri Lanka, have no proper shelter and are deprived of primary education. They are being deployed for begging, hard labour and various other illegal tasks. Hundreds of children have become victims of famine in some parts of South Africa.

Let’s lend a hand to bring some relief to the children who are suffering and help them enjoy equal rights.

Fathima Zahara Thaslim,
Grade 6A,
NG/Newstead Girls’ College,
Negombo.

Environmental pollution

Winner

Freshness of the wind says good bye to us,
Pure water of lakes say good bye to us,
For me, it’s difficult to say good bye to them,
My dear friends, let’s save them as the Triple Gem.

Global warming looks mockingly at us,
It seems to be attacking the behaviour of ours,
Nothing to do, no, one thing remains - remember,
Nature is not a slave, only a friend.

Nowadays, disasters are at the top,
And everything is coming to a stop,
How many disasters affected us within this year?
I think, that’s why they are so very familiar.

What happens to our glorious Earth?
Global warming! This is the birth of disaster,
It’s so horrible and there’s no guard,
All the suffering is very hard on us.

Nowadays, rain is not a friend,
Sun is just the same, is this the end?
‘Save the land,’ we took this to our mind,
We are poor, so please be kind.

Vishmi Kumarasinghe,
Grade 9,
Musaeus College.

An old person’s emotions

In that early dawn
You gave me a flower to smell
With its fragrance
As a little flower with soft petals
I was looked after by you.

But it happened,
In the days of yore,
Of course it was your ‘Old time!’
And though unbelievable,
This is my old time

My skin has become wrinkled
While my eyes twinkle
With the tears of sorrow
Over past memories

In my life, dusk seems to have crept in
Too soon, so very early
That I never even thought of it

Now I realise it!
One day night will fall
And I have to leave
The world I’m living in
Until I come back on another day
As another soul!

Ashani Jayasundara,
Grade 11E, English Medium,
Royal College, Moneragala.

Protect our sanctuaries

Winner:

There are several sanctuaries in Sri Lanka. They are Yala, Kumana, Bundala, Vasgamuwa and Wilpattu. Yala is famous for deer and Wilpattu is famous for wild elephants and leopards. Kumana is famous for birds. We can see many varieties of migrant birds too there.Many animals roam in natural habitats in these sanctuaries. These sanctuaries are not like the zoo. Here they can move freely. These sanctuaries have become very popular places among both local and foreign tourists.

Sanctuaries are very important because animals are safe in them. It is forbidden to kill animals in these sanctuaries. We should learn to abide by the rules of these sanctuaries and enjoy but not disturb or destroy the animals and plants in them.

B.G. Hansani Muthumali,
Grade 7F,
Holy Cross College, Gampaha.

Bambarakanda waterfall

Winner:

Bambarakanda waterfall is the highest waterfall in Sri Lanka and it is situated in the Badulla district.The waterfall is 241 metres high.

The waterfall flows down a high rock and falls onto a rocky area and this enhances the beauty of the fall.

The water which flows into the fall from the Horton Plains, goes down to Samanala Wewa. The valley looks like a butterfly.The water finally flows into the sea via the Walawe river. Travelling to this place to see the waterfall is not easy as in the case of other waterfalls in Sri Lanka, because the fall is situated far away from the main road. There are very few accommodation facilities too available in close proximity to the Bambarakanda waterfall. There are several other waterfalls close to the Bambarakanda falls.They are Bambarakanda Ella, Lanka Ella, Uduwara Ella and Nugadowa Ella.

Hashani Madushi,
Grade 8-3,
Presbyterian Girls’ National School,
Dehiwala.

Plant more trees

Winner;

The trees, animals, the soil, the sea, the air, the sky, rivers and waterfalls are all gifts of Mother Nature. All of these are bound together as a web and the existence of Mother Earth is dependent on it. Trees are an integral part in it because we get many uses from them.

Apart from oxygen we get from trees, their main use is food. Trees are one of the main sources of food on this Earth. They manufacture their own food. They take water, Co2, Sunlight and chlorophyll to make their food.

It is called photosynthesis. Trees also give us shade, wood and medicine. They emit oxygen Co2 and absorb carbondioxide from the air. Therefore, trees help to maintain the percentage of O2 and Co2 in the air. The roots of trees help stop soil erosion.

However, there is a depletion of trees and many tree species are also endangered as a result of deforestation.

They are being cut down in vast numbers to meet the demands of the furniture and construction industry. Very little replanting is done to replace trees that have been cut down. So, we should plant more and more trees and take necessary steps to protect them. Trees are important to the survival of both man and animal.

Sanara Vihangi Wickremarathna,
Grade 8,
Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo 4.

Shakespeare lives through his work

William Shakespeare is a renowned writer and a dramatist in the whole world. He was born at Stratford upon-Avon in England on April 23, 1564. His father, John Shakespeare was a businessman.

Shakespeare was the greatest English writer and the most famous playright during his time. He acted in his own plays. He married Anne Hathaway and they had three daughters and a son.

Shakespeare wrote many plays and beautiful poetry. Many of his plays are still staged all over the world.

His plays comprised tragedies, comedies and historical plays. Some of his tragedies were Romeo and Juliet, King Lear and Hamlet. Julius Ceaser and Richard II were his historical plays. A Winter’s Tale and The Tempest were his comedies.

His probable first play, Henry VI, Part I was staged sometime between 1589 and 1592. Julius Ceaser was staged in 1599 or 1600. These were followed by Hamlet, his masterpiece, Macbeth and the Comedy of Errors. Shakespeare wrote about forty plays and numerous poems such as Venus and Adonis. William Shakespeare, the greatest among the great, died in 1616.

His famous plays are widely staged and sonnets are widely read to this day.

Punsara Ridma Jayawardana,
Grade 6A,
Prince of Wales’ College,
Moratuwa.