Mother Teresa’s selfless love

Winner:

Born in Yugoslavia on August 26, 1910 as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu she became a nun at the age of 18 and took the name Teresa. She went to India as a Sister of the Loreto Order to teach in the Convent in Kolkata.

The extreme poverty that she saw around her made her change her direction in life. She decided to serve the poor, the sick and the helpless with selfless devotion. She became a great example to the world. Moved by her genuine love and devotion many came forward to join her.

In 1950 she started the famous order named the ‘Missionaries of Charity’. Many homes for the homeless, schools and hospitals were opened all over India and abroad by them. Today the Missionaries of Charity have more than 150 centres in India alone and they have their branches in most countries of the world.

Her great work for the poor and unloved earned her many laurels both in India and abroad. However,she was too humble a person to consider herself worthy of these awards. The holy work she did could never be made small by being paid for. She worked tirelessly until the day she passed away. She died on September 5, 1997 in Kolkata.

People virtually worshipped her even while she lived. She was a real saint and both Kolkata and India are proud that she died as an Indian.

India lost an ‘Angel of Mercy’ the day she bade farewell to the world.

It was indeed a black day for the whole world. Even though she is no more the work she started is carried on, without any lack of love and dedication by the late Mother Teresa’s followers all over the world.

Praveenya de Silva,
Grade 11,
Good Shepherd Convent,
Panadura.

Impact of tea plantations

Winner:

Tea is a main exporting crop in Sri Lanka. It is the livelihood of many people in the hill country. Tea plantation is the most suitable form of agriculture in the hill country, although, tea can be grown in other areas.

The British started tea plantations when Sri Lanka was one of their colonies. James Taylor began a tea plantation in 1867 for the first time in the Loolkandura Estate in Kandy.

The best flavoured tea in the world is produced in Sri Lanka. Teas of high quality which are very tasty can be produced in the hill country because of the presence of physical conditions such as well distributed rainfall and low temperature.

Tea is the main crop grown in the hill country on a large scale and the highest land area under tea plantations is in the Nuwara Eliya district. The Tea Research Institute at Talawakelle is also in this district.

The Sri Lankan economy reaps many benefits through the cultivation of tea. It has helped to increase foreign exchange earnings through exports. The tea industry provides various types of employment. The industry has resulted in the development of road and railway networks in the country. It has also helped develop communication systems.

The landscape of the hill country changed with the spread of tea cultivation. Many activities were introduced to meet the needs of the crop. The population too rose as labourers were brought down from India. Many new factories and buildings, estate hospitals and estate schools were also established for the labourers, transforming the entire environment. A cultural change was witnessed by the new ethnic component of the population due to the introduction of tea plantations.

Hansi Madushika Munasinghe,
Grade 7 – B,
Taxila Central College,
Horana.

Nature beckons

Winner:

Those sky scraping trees,
Which tower over my head,
The best place
To build a bird’s nest
The sound of fresh water gurgling
And small birds singing
It drags my soul
The untrodden forest
I would build a hut there,
With clay and wattles
And invite the bees
To build a hive
I shall have peace in the forest,
Peace at its best,
I hear a call,
From nature, deep into my heart’s core

Akmal Kamal
Hejaaz International School.

My home garden

Winner:

I have a home garden. It is big and beautiful. There are flowers and vegetables growing in it. I look after my home garden well by keeping it clean and beautiful. Many birds and butterflies come to my garden because of the flowers, trees and creepers. They come to eat the food from the plants in my garden. I derive a lot of pleasure by watching the birds.

My parents also help me in my work in the garden. We never buy vegetables from the market. We consume fresh and clean vegetables from the home garden. Sometimes we share them with our neighbours.

Home gardening is a good hobby .We must try to grow vegetables and flowers in our home gardens.

T.D. Vidyani Janeshika,
Grade 8 – B,
WP/MT Colvin R. De Silva MV,
Ittapana.

An apple a day...

Winner:

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away”, is a popular adage. Apples are healthy food to eat and the adage points out that this habit would also help to prevent many health problems.

An apple contains about five-sixths water and the remaining one -sixth consist of carbohydrate, vitamin C, vitamin A and some minerals. It is rich in cellulose and sugar.

Apple helps in the prevention and cure of several deficiency disorders such as scurvy and night blindness .It also helps in purifying the blood in our system . Apples are also good for healing, protection against colds and building of healthy bones, teeth and gums.

The presence of the various food sources in the apples and their utility in keeping the body fit and healthy justifies the old adage.

A.G. Samah Afrin,
Grade 9,
Muslim Madhya Maha Vidyalaya,
Sammanthurai.

Express yourself

Express your feelings,
Thoughts and fears,
Through speech, art and paintings
Tell it to your peers
Your family will always be willing
To help you, far or near.
Let everyone hear you,
You are the author, the writer
Do what you wish to do
The illustrator,
Perhaps, sketching it all, smooth and through
Or, maybe, the appraised poet,
Meandering like a river.
You could be the athlete,
Cheered by all his fans
Applause ringing from seat to seat
Maybe your expressions tell it all,
Just look and scan
By a determined face, many can understand,
You will not be beaten
And so, you won that race you ran.
Expressions are important,
Whichever way you want,
Try to express yourself, rain or shine
Be it written, facial or spoken, in a chant,
Making others understand
That you are fearful,
Ecstatic or angry,
Showing them what’s on the line
So, use all that expression, right inside of you,
Ready to face the world,’ said a wise friend of mine.

Sumudi Kumarasinghe,
Newstead Wood,School,
Class 7F,
United Kingdom.

A doctor

A doctor works in a hospital. He treats sick people. He gives them pills and mixtures. Sometimes he gives them injections too.

He is a good, kind person. He helps poor people.

A doctor works hard and earns good money too. He knows about the function of our body and medicines needed to treat all kinds of ailments. Everyone likes a doctor. I also want to study hard and become a doctor.

Sithy Reema Ismail,
Grade 3,
House of Scholars International School,
Panadura.

Myself

My name is Haifa. I am a Sri Lankan studying at the Indian School in Bahrain. I am in Class I-N. I am six years old.

My favourite subject is Environmental studies. My class teacher is Mrs. Ruby. I love to visit Sri Lanka during my summer holidays.

Haifa Shiraz,
Class I-N,
Indian School of Bahrain (ISB),
Manama, Bahrain.