Winner:

Sripada

There are several sacred places in Sri Lanka. Among them Sripada is regarded as one of the most sacred places for Buddhists.

The Mahawamsa says that the Buddha left his footprint on the summit of Sri Pada on his third visit to Sri Lanka. Some people believe that God Saman has been guarding this footprint since the day the Buddha visited the mountain.The sacred mountain is in the Sabaragamuwa province. The distance from Colombo to Sripada is about 101 km. The height of the mountain is 7,362 ft.

Devotees go on pilgrimage to the sacred mountain every year. The pilgrimage season begins in December and ends in May. People from all walks of life climb the mountain during this period. They usually travel in groups. The leader of the group is called Nade Gura. While climbing the mountain they recite devotional verses. They climb the mountain as members of the same family. They stop at resting places and share their meals. They do not feel tired as their minds are filled with religious thoughts. Some devotees wear warm clothes as it is cold at the top of the mountain.People belonging to all the four major religions worship the sacred place for different reasons.Some devotees pollute the environment by throwing polythene bags and other waste matter.

We should always try to keep the environment of the sacred place clean.

M.F. Fathima Fasrina,
Grade 8A,
R/Ehe/Dharmapala Maha Vidyalaya,
Eheliyagoda.

Winner:

My most favourite place

I like to visit many places, but my most favourite destination is Kandy. It is in the central part of the country. The city is surrounded by hills.

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is in Kandy. The Kandy Lake has enhanced the city’s beauty. There are lots of shops and buildings in the city.

The climate is cold. Kandy is well-known for tea and the Esala perahera. I like to visit Kandy.

Sasvi Ranatunga,
Grade 4G,
Musaeus College,
Colombo 7.

Winner:

Myself

I am Shihad Umar Nafees. I am a boy. I am six years old.
I attend Zahira College, Colombo.
My mother is a teacher and my father is a principal. I love my parents.

Shihad Umar Nafees,
Grade 1E - Daisy,
Zahira College,
Colombo 10.

Winner:

My pet goes missing

Since our pets are always with us people do not care for them. But if one day our pet goes missing, we will feel miserable.It was a day in August last year. I took Nobby for a walk to the beach. There I met one of my cousins, Chamanthi. We were talking for about an hour. Suddenly, I noticed that my dog was not there.

We walked all over to find Nobby, but he was nowhere to be seen. We published a notice in the newspapers but still we could not find it. My sister and I cried a lot and we had hopes that we will find Nobby one day.We still hope that Nobby will come back. I cannot express my sadness in words.

We should love and take care of our pets because we can lose them at any time.

Naomi Thamasha Sikurajapathi,
Grade 8,
Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya.

Winner:

Friends

I have many friends such as Swaathi, Nethra, Dilrukshi and Rahma. They study at Dhilshaath International College in grade seven. We became friends when we were in grade one.

Friendship is one of the most valuable gifts in life. We all love to have friends.

If you can find a good friend, you will be very fortunate. To be a good friend you should be polite, humble and honest. There should be a good understanding between friends.

We need friends who are very faithful to us. It is said, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” When they are in trouble we should help them. Friendship is like a ring, it has no end.

I wish my friends all success in everything they do.

Daphne Angel Henry,
Grade 7D,
Dhilshaath International College,
Colombo 8.

Environment pollution

Environment pollution is a big problem in the world. People pollute the environment by cutting trees and dumping garbage everywhere.

Sri Lanka's forest cover has drastically reduced. Therefore, when we cut a tree, we must plant another one in its place.It is our responsibility to protect the environment from pollution. The environment is very precious not only to man but also to animals and other organisms in the world.I always try to protect the environment.

H.P. Hashan Madushanka Kalyathilaka,
Grade 8H,
R/Dharmapala College,
Eheliyagoda.

The most profitable hobby in the world

Everyone of us has a hobby. A person who pursues a hobby is never dull or idle. It helps him to spend his leisure in a meaningful and useful manner.

There are many types of hobbies such as watching television, reading books and playing computer games. But I like collecting stamps. Some people, however, collect photographs and pictures.

Collecting stamps is called philately. The person who collects stamps is called a philatelist. We can gather a lot of information through this hobby. It is instructive, educational and is profitable too.

The first stamp was printed in England. It had the picture of Queen Victoria.We can learn about the culture, fauna and flora, history, discoveries, inventions and biographies of great men. We can also earn money by selling rare stamps.

The rare and very old stamps can be sold at very high prices. There are stamps in various shapes. Some are square, rectangular and triangular in shape. You too can collect stamps as a hobby. I think it is the most profitable hobby in the world.

K.D. Punsara Ridma Jayawardana,
Grade 8A,
Prince of Wales College,
Moratuwa.

A moonlight excursion

It was a night journey in a van to my grandmother's house in Kandy. I thought of enjoying my trip with everyone in the family. The time was 10 o'clock in the night. We got into the van and started our journey. It was dark and there was no one on the streets, only the moonlight was visible.

When I got into the van, I saw the bright moon and the twinkling stars like diamonds shining in the sky.

It took us four hours to reach Kandy. During the journey most of us fell asleep. The others went on chatting with one another. However, I was observing the moon and the stars. I wondered whether I could visit the moon one day!

Suddenly, I noticed that all remained quiet and the van stopped in front of a hotel for us to take dinner. They asked me what I would like to eat. When I said, “I want the moon,” everyone guffawed! I got angry and remained silent. I thought for a while that the moon was travelling with me to my grandmother's home. The moon appeared and then disappeared amidst the dark clouds.

However, when I reached my grandmother's house, the moonlight was still in the sky. After retiring into my room I opened the window to have a last look at the moon.I enjoyed my trip very much. It was a good experience to travel in the moonlight.

Basma Imran,
Grade 10G,
Mukkaramah International School,
Negombo.

The Railway story

George Stephen made the first locomotive in 1814. In 1825 he opened the first public railway line from Stokton to Darlington. Thus the story of steam locomotive went down in history.

Steam power dominated rail travel until the end of World War II. But it had disadvantages. The locomotives were big and noisy. Clouds of steam and smoke made the railway stations very unclean. Rudolf Diesel's oil engine in 1893 had been of great interest to railway engineers. In no time the future of the diesel engine was assured.

The great rival of the diesel engine was electric traction. And many countries are moving in this direction. Although electric locomotives are much smaller than others, electrifying the track was costly.

All over the world many exciting experiments are going on and train travel in the future will take a dramatic change.

Dineth Lakshan,
Grade 7,
Isipatana College,
Colombo 5.