Winner:

A coin’s autobiography

I am a one rupee coin. I was born in Sri Lanka. I have relations in Pakistan and India. People use me for their transactions.

One day a small child was taking me in his hand. I was taken to a grocery and he gave me to the shopkeeper and bought a toffee. He put me into his drawer.

After some time another boy came and asked the shopkeeper whether he could change five rupees. But the shopkeeper did not have two rupee coins to give him. So he gave the boy five one rupee coins, including me. The boy went home and put us into his till. I do not know when I will be able to come out of it.

Amathul Asmy,
Grade 7,
Hejaaz International School, Dehiwala.

Winner:

My village

My village is Katakalapitiya. It is a village in Pasyala. My village is very clean. It is green with many trees and bushes around the streams.

There are many paddy fields, rubber and coconut estates. Attanagalu Oya runs through my village.There are many kinds of fruit and flowers in my village. Most of the villagers are farmers.We live in peace.I love my village.

Sipsala Amandi,
Grade 4B,
P/Gm Ellakkala Maha Vidyalaya,
Debahara.

Winner:

My ambition in life

My ambition in life is to become an engineer. It is not an easy task to achieve this target. Yet I think I should try.

At present I am a Grade 8 student. I pay more attention to learning mathematics. I hope to get through my Ordinary Level examination with good results, so that I could get qualified to do mathematics in the Advanced Level stream.

It is difficult to gain admission to the university. To do so I should obtain three ‘A’ passes and get a good Z score at my Advanced Level examination. My ambition is to enter the engineering faculty.

Being an engineer is an asset to the country. I can serve my country by helping to build houses, bridges, dams and sluice gates. It is a very respectable profession. The pleasure I gain by constructing buildings is immeasurable.

I am determined to achieve this goal.

B. Kavindu Vidarshana Perera,
Grade 8B,
St. Benedict’s College.

Winner:

My favourite game

My favourite game is cricket. It is the most popular game in Sri Lanka. We have got the Test status. There are about 10 countries which have got the Test status in the world. Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, England, South Africa and Bangladesh are some of them.Cricket is a team game. Both boys and girls play it.

There are 11 players on each side. We use bats, balls, pads, headgear and gloves to play this game.Nowadays we play test, one day and 20-20 matches. But 20-20 matches are the most popular competitive games. Our team won the World Cup in 1996. The captain of our team was Arjuna Ranathunga. Sangakkara, Mahela and Dilshan are very good batsmen.My favourite cricketer is Mahela Jayawardana.

I love cricket. My future ambition is to be a good cricketer. I like to play cricket very much.

U. Manidu Shashintha,
rade 7A,
NCEF Buddhist College,
Mulleriyawa New Town.

Winner:

My favourite story book

My favourite story book is Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. I was only 12 years old when I started reading it. I received the book from my parents as a birthday gift. I love it very much. Oliver Twist is a very interesting book for children and adults. The story is about a small boy named ‘Oliver Twist.’

Oliver’s mother died on the day he was born. He grew up in a workhouse without his parents’ love and care.

At the age of nine, Oliver had to work. He was given soup for all three meals every day. It was made of little meat and some roots boiled.

It was not enough for him. One day Oliver asked for more from the master, Mr. Bumble. He was very angry and sold Oliver to a coffin maker, Mr. Sowerberry.

There he became a thief. He met good and bad people outside the workhouse. Some even tried to kill him. However, he escaped and became a good boy with the help of Mr. Brownlow, Mrs. Maylie and Rose.

This is a very interesting and a valuable story book for children because they can learn many good qualities to lead a happy life.

W.D. Shanika Rasangi,
rade 9A,
NCEF Buddhist College, Mulleriyawa New Town.

Polonnaruwa

Out of ancient cities in Sri Lanka, Polonnaruwa is the most attractive one. It is about 800 years old.

In the 12th century King Parakramabahu I, built his royal palace in Polonnaruwa. It was a huge building with 1,000 rooms. Though it is in ruins now, some of the walls can still be seen.

In ancient times Kiri Vehera had a dome coated with milk-white churn and Rankoth Vehera had a golden spire. They are now in ruins.

M.Shahid Zahir,
rade 7A,
Mukkarrama International School,
Dematagoda.

The Father of the Nation

On October 20, 1884, a child was born to Don Spater Senanayake and Dona Catherina Elizabeth Perera. His name was D.S. Senanayake. He was born in the village of Botale.

He was the youngest in the Senanayake family. He studied at S. Thomas’ College. D. S. Senanayake married Molly Dunuwila and had two sons.In 1931 he was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Land. D.S. Senanayake renovated several reservoirs and cultivated 1,000 acres of paddy fields in 1933. He died after falling off his horse on March 22, 1992.

Pasindu Abeysinghe,
rade 7,
OKI International School, Negombo.

Time is invaluable

Time is gold and nothing is beyond time. It is a treasure and yet we waste it foolishly.
We waste it thoughtlessly in meaningless activities.
e all grow with time, live with time and die with time.
So, great people know how precious time is.
They make the best use of it.
Every minute is valuable for them.
It is foolish to postpone your work for tomorrow.
emember well, time and decisions make you perfect.

Shashik Oshan,
rade 5 (Super Class),
Success English College,
Piliyandala.

Nature’s blessings on man

Humans are a part of nature which consist of animals, rocks, trees, air, waterfalls. They always depend on nature.

Humans are the most intelligent living organisms on earth. With their development of thinking power they try to live away from nature, although they know that it is impossible to do so. Nature is the only source that produces the basic needs for man to exist. From the early times we have evidence that humans directly depended on nature.

Most of them used caves as their homes. They ate fruit, vegetables and animal flesh and used barks and leaves of trees to cover themselves.

Today man uses many artificial materials. Still nature purifies the air and maintains the water cycle for human existence.

We should protect nature as it is a blessing.

Navoda Nandasena,
rade 8,
Holy Family Balika Maha Vidyalaya.

Friendship

Good friends can be regarded as one of the valuable assets. Friendship is formed irrespective of age, status, caste, gender or creed. It is one of the most valuable gifts in life. Friends should be trustworthy and loyal to each other.

A good friend always tries to lead his companion in the correct path as the proverb goes, “A friend in need is a friend in deed.” It is also said, “A friend is always truthful in words and deeds.” They help and give advice when needed.

Some poets have written poems on friendship and novelists have written novels with friendship as the theme. I love my friends very much.

T. Sanduni Umayangana,
rade 9E,
harmasena Attigala Balika Vidyalaya,
esbewa.