Let’s protect our heritage

Winner:

Sri Lanka is not just an island that is indicated on the world map. It is a country rich in its cultural and religious heritage. Before, I focus on the heritage of Sri Lanka I would like to explain the meaning of ‘heritage’ to you.

A heritage is something that we are given by our ancestors. The historic cities of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Yapahuwa and also the famous frescoes of Sigiriya and wood carvings of Ambekke Devala could be given as a few examples of the rich heritage we have inherited from our ancestors.Ancient tanks such as the Parakrama Samudra, Tissa Wewa, Giritale and Minneriya Wewa are also part of our heritage.

Most of our people think that the clothes we wear should be in keeping with the trends that change from one generation to the other.

I feel that our dress mode should not be like a lizard that changes colours according to the environment. However much fashions may change, the saree, lama saree and the sarong will always remain a part of our cultural heritage.

Today we see many people destroying our heritage sites such as ancient temples and dagobas to take away valuable artefacts hidden in these places.

My dear friends, our heritage goes back to thousands of years, and testifies to a great civilization in Sri Lanka; what most Europeans did not have at that time.

Therefore, our heritage is extremely valuable and we cannot destroy it. Heritage is not something we can make again like any building, once it is destroyed .

Therefore, we as children who are the owners of tomorrow, should keep in mind this fact and conserve and protect our heritage for the future generation.

Rashini Fernando,
Grade 8,
St. Bridget’s Convent,
Colombo 7.

A true friend

Winner:

Friendship is the cement of life which keeps individuals and nations together. A true friend makes our lives livable and lovable. A man without a friend, is like a boat without a rudder. He is a man who is helpless and is at the mercy of the winds and waves.

As the saying goes, ‘A friend in need is a friend indeed.’ A true friend will always be with us during all our troubles and pains. He or she will make our toil and troubles in life, bearable. Life itself will be quite enjoyable. Without a true friend everything becomes boring and tiresome.

Yet, it is very rare to find a true friend. In fact, one may have thousands of friends but not even a single true friend. A true friend should be a person who shares our happiness as well as our sorrows. He or she will be helpful to us on any occasion during our life.

A true friend is worth more than all the wealth in the world; such a friend is a true investment in life. To have a true friend we should also cultivate qualities of a true friend such as loyalty, honesty, kindness and unselfishness. Without possessing these qualities, there is no point in blaming others about their standard of friendship.

A true friend exerts a tremendous amount of influence on our lives. He or she will help to achieve success and make our lives bright.Indeed, it is a great fortune to have a genuine friend. It is like having a diamond in the coal mine of life.

Rasha Nilam,
Grade 10E,
Hizbullah CC,
Kurunegala.

What is nanotechnology?

Winner:

Nanotechnology was discovered in the late 20th century, and it has been a great hit among scientists since it was found. The development of nanotechnology has already caught the attention of the world.

Nanotechnology is science and technology based on the nano scale. It is the process of controlling matter at a subatomic level. The word nano which has descended from Greek, gives the meaning “dwarf.” In a sense, it can be taken as ‘dwarf’ technology too.

The physicist, Richard Feyman introduced nanotechnology in his lecture titled “There's plenty of room at the bottom” in 1959. It was Feyman who initially suggested to produce things by using the method “bottom to top approach.”

Although nanotechnology was found by Feyman, “The father of nanotechnology” happens to be Eric Drexler, who launched the book Engines of creation – the coming era of nanotechnology. This book was able to make the world see another hidden fact of the developing technology.

The things that are not visible to the naked eye can be measured by nano metres. A nano metre equals one billionth of a metre. In nanotechnology, we produce more energetic things / machines with more efficiency. In this way nanotechnology can be taken as an amazing discovery.

Hemashi L. Withana,
Grade 9C,
Sujatha Vidyalaya, Matara.

City and village life

Winner:

People live both in cities and villages or the rural sector. Some like to live in the city while others like to live in villages.Today the population of the world is growing very fast. Therefore, people need more shelter, food, medicine and clothes. They also need more jobs and other facilities. As a result many people from villages move into the fast developing cities

In the past the majority of young people were not well educated. However, today in every nook and corner of the world there are schools and people in villages too have an opportunity to educate themselves. They also have the opportunity to pursue higher studies in the city due to the improved system of transport.

All the popular schools are situated in the city. So, the children in the city have more advantages to go to popular schools. The children in the village however have to travel long distances to get to the city and they spend more money and time for an education than their counterparts do. This often leads to villagers moving into the cities just to educate their children .

People in the city have many facilities such as good government and private hospitals . The hospitals in the city are generally well equipped with modern machines , many operating theatres and new medicines .They also have many doctors working in them .Most hospitals in villages do not have all the modern facilities and there is a shortage of medical personnel too. It takes a long time to even transfer a very serious patient to a city hospital.

However, despite all these benefits people in the city do not have a healthy life because the city is very polluted. City dwellers have to deal with air pollution, extreme noise, garbage, impure water, clogged drains, mosquitoes and flies. Many people in the city frequently suffer from diseases such as malaria and dengue.

Those in the villages enjoy fresh air and clean environment. Usually the environment in villages is much cleaner than that in the cities. The people in the villages not only have a happy and friendly life, but also a healthy life.

Today we are living in a competitive society. The people in the city always want to be the best in everything. Sometimes they are unkind, rude, selfish and not friendly or helpful to others because of their competitive nature. They often try to live solitary lives because they are very suspicious of others and end up lonely.

There is a very big difference between city and village people. The villagers are generally very helpful, friendly and generous. They live calm and quiet lives when compared to those who live amidst the hustle and bustle of city life.

Fathima Zakiya Nizam,
Grade 10 T,
Viharamahadevi Girls’ College, Kandy.

We caused global warming

Winner:

Global warming is the process of the Earth's atmosphere heating up. The weather has not changed in exactly the same way in every part of the planet. Scientists are of the view that the rise in average temperature is already affecting the Earth's climate.

Many scientists now believe that global warming is caused by human activities such as cutting down of trees, the increase in waste and garbage and environment pollution.

Certain gases released into the atmosphere prevent heat energy from escaping back into space. Gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane are called ‘greenhouse gases’ because they keep the Earth warm like a green house.

In the past, nature produced just the right amount of green house gases to keep Earth at a balanced temperature. However, an increase in the release of green house gases from human activities has thrown nature off balance.

The climate is a very complicated thing, but many scientists agree that the rising atmospheric temperature has already damaged the environment. Sheets of ice called glaciers are melting in the Antarctic and other parts of the globe. As glaciers break off and melt in the oceans, they add, warm water to the oceans and also cause the sea levels to rise.

The Kyoto Protocol is an energy agreement that was created is Kyoto, Japan in 1997 to combat global warming. The 140 countries that signed the agreement promised to decrease the amount of green house gases they produced or emitted each year. The United States of America did not agree to the Kyoto Protocol even though America emits more green house gases than any other country in the world.

Gayathri Upeksha Gurusinghe,
Grade 10,
Cp/Kot/Harangala Secondary Vidyalaya, Nawalapitiya.

The person I like most

The person I like most is my best friend Umaira Hiba. She studies at Muslim Ladies’ College in Grade Three. She is eight years old. I first met her in our Madrasa.(Islamic School) We study together,sit together and trouble the Hazrath (teacher) together because we are the most talkative girls in our Madrasa. Because we talk all the time our Hazrath has separated us. So, I cannot talk to her for even one second now. Sometimes we quarrel with each other, but we become friends again very soon.

When I go to school I see her walking at the zebra crossing. Umaira is fair and she looks so cute. She comes first in the class. Her favourite subject is Tamil. Her ambition is to be a doctor. Her favourite food is mutton buriyani with apple soda. Her favourite colour is green.

I miss her a lot during our Madrasa holidays because she cracks funny jokes. She is the joker in our Madrasa. After Madrasa she has English tuition classes. I am sad only about one thing. If she and I pass out from Madrasa we will be separated. After that I wish I could see her again in my Quran memorisation class. We study the same lesson of the Qur'an . Her hobby is to recite the Qur'an and memorise it.

During the break we play badminton in the playground. She is honest and truthful. She never tells lies. I am very fortunate to have a good friend like Umaira. To have this kind of friend I should thank and praise Allah forever. I love her very much and she loves me too.

Sumaiha Hameed,
Grade 5B,
Hejaaz International School,
Dehiwala.