Winner: Let’s have unity in the family

The family can be compared to a necklace with precious beads joined by a golden thread of affection. When the beads are closely linked, the thread cannot be seen. But, it is strong enough to hold the beads tightly. When the thread is weakened the necklace will be broken and the beads will scatter. It will be difficult to re-bond them or reunite them, so does the family.

It is not only love, we must respect each other and try to understand each other in times of adversity. The family bond plays a vital role in Sri Lankan culture. It is silent, but deep. The mutual attachment or ties come to the surface at the needed time. It lasts forever till the end of our lives. The real relationship between father, mother and siblings brings success and happiness.

Caring and sharing are the foremost features in this connection. Wealth and literacy do not serve any purpose. Among the family members there should be good qualities such as patience, loyalty, sympathy, honesty and forgiveness.

In times of difficulty, the whole family must stand together as a single unit.

M.Sajith Sahib,

Grade 9A,

Hameed Al Husseinie College,

Colombo 12.

Winner: The Kandy perahera

The Kandy perahera is one of the most important and glorious pageants in Sri Lanka. It is held in honour of the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha. The perahera was started by the ancient Sinhala Kings. Since then it is held once a year. This is also called the Duruthu perahera. The perahera displays our traditional Sinhala dances. The most important person in the perahera is the Diyawadana Nilame. He is responsible for conducting the perahera every year. The perahera ends with the water cutting ceremony at Gatambe. It is on the bank of the Mahaweli river. Therefore, Buddhists all over the world are proud of this great pageant.

Dhanushya Selvaraj,
Grade 8,
St. Anthony’s Girls’ College,
Kandy.

Winner: Mandela, the father of the nation

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a formidable combination of humanity and the revolutionary spirit. This unique leader was born on July 18, 1918, in Mvezo, South Africa to the Thembu royal family. Mandela lost his father when he was just a boy of 12. He was a lawyer. At that time black people were socially incarcerated. They were harassed and discriminated. Black people were neglected from society.

He joined the African National Congress and strongly fought for the human rights of the black people as equals in society. Consequently, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rivonia. He was imprisoned in Robben Island. Though the white government could imprison Mandela, they could not suppress his exceptional revolutionary spirit. He was indeed a man of word. After being imprisoned for 27 years, he was released in 1990. Nelson Mandela became South

Africa’s first black President in 1994. His main objectives were to dismantle the legacy of apathy and to foster racial reconciliation. He personally focused on philanthropic work in combating poverty and HIV/AIDS through the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

In 1994, he published his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom. He received more than 250 honours including the Nobel Peace Prize, Soviet Order of Lenin and US Presidential Medal of Freedom. This South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, Nelson Mandela passed away on December 5, 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Although he is no more, his life is an inspiration to everyone. His uplifting, revolutionary, eloquent words and his remarkable service to his country will always remain forever.

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.”

Hansika Navarathne,
Grade 10B,
Sujatha Vidyalaya,
Nugegoda.

Winner: Value of sports

Sports are useful for our lives. There are advantages in doing sports. Sports help us to develop our personality and keep our body and mind strong and healthy. Any child likes to play. There are many sports for children such as netball, football, volleyball, table tennis and swimming.

Some sports are played indoors and others outdoors. Sports help the physical development of children, teenagers and adults. They help to develop good human qualities such as leadership, team spirit, patience, courage and responsibility.

During ancient times people participated in sports at village festivals, national occasions with traditional games. They played as a team. We learn to play sports according to rules and regulations. We need to maintain a balance between work and play. All these qualities help us to live as good citizens. But now most children are fat and lazy. They do not have time to play in the evening because of tuition classes. When they come home at night they are tired.

Children must have a time to study as well as to play. People who do sports meet people from other countries when they participate in international events. We can learn many things about these countries and their nationalities. Also we can meet many famous sportsmen and women. I think everybody must do sports.

A.A.Udani Chathurangi Perera,
Grade 10,
Sarasavi Uyana College,
Peradeniya.

Winner: Titanoboa, a pre-historic horror

There are many pre-historic animals such as dinosaurs, but my favourite is the Titanoboa. The name Titanoboa means monster snake, which is probably a good name for a large and long snake. The Titanoboa lived 16 million years ago, when the world was much warmer than now. The females were larger than the males. They grew up to 42 feet long. The length of the male is still unknown.

Titanoboa was an enormous constrictor that ate all the other reptiles. Its mouth was large enough to eat a 20 foot crocodile. The lower jaw could split into two, which makes it easier to swallow its prey. I like this animal because it is the largest, longest and deadliest snake in the world.

Lokesh Chetan Jayanetti,
Grade 8,
Sussex College,
Galle.

The butterfly

Here is a pretty butterfly,
It is on a flower,
It has two pairs of wings,
They are large and beautiful.

We have hands,
But the butterfly has no hands,
It has six legs,
How many legs do you have?

Look at his head!
It is very small,
It has eyes but no teeth,
Its body is thin and long.

The butterfly has no bones,
It is an insect,
It is very beautiful,
And always happy.

Ushani Bandara,
Grade 9,
A/Rathnayake Central College,
Walala, Menikhinna.

Movies – a bad influence on teenagers

Movies are non-fiction, imaginary and animated stories.They attract teenagers. There are more disadvantages than advantages in watching a movie.

Teenagers are the ones who increase the profit of the film industry. Teenagers are curious to see the latest movies. They watch all kinds of movies such as thriller, action, romantic and horror. They pay less attention to their studies once they get addicted to movies.

Teenagers try to follow the styles and behaviour of actors and actresses. They try to imitate them. They learn to fight, use indecent words and blackmail others. It is an important duty of parents to limit the number of hours a child spends on watching movies. Parents should help and show them good movies which will help in education.

Ashani Malisha,
Grade 10,
Kingston International School,
Colombo.