Expressions

The sporting spirit...

Sportsmanship means the right spirit in which a person takes part in any competitive sport or plays any other form of game.

When analysing “the sporting spirit”, we discover that its component parts are; fair play, no favouritism, enthusiasm for the game, generosity to opponents, pluck and the ability to take defeat well.

It goes without saying that a committed sportsman or sportswoman will never dream of cheating or of taking any unfair advantage of his/her opponent in any game. He/she will always “play fair” and honour the rules of the game at all times. And he/she will also not expect any concessions from his/her opponent.

He/she takes the game seriously and doesn’t like someone who plays without being bothered as to whether he/she wins or loses.

He/she will play even a losing game with pluck and patience without giving up till the end.

An unsporty player will often get into a temper when he/she is being defeated and even throw the game away in an angry manner like a spoilt child. But the true sportsman or woman will maintain good humour even when he/she is losing, and show greater courage when the odds against him/her are piling up.

He/she may do so without breaking any rules of the game and even give into his/her opponent’s claim, even though it is wrong, rather than wrangle over a disputed point.

The final test of a real sportsperson is whether he/she can take up defeat well. If when defeated, he/she can sincerely congratulate his/her triumphant opponent and show no signs of humiliation or vexation, then he/she has indeed developed the true sporting spirit which is much more valuable than the medals or trophies one wins.

Varathananthan Vithushan, Class: 9’G’, Bambalapitiya Hindu College, Colombo 4.
 

Discipline is important

The powerful word ‘discipline’ has been derived from the Latin word Disciplina which has been once again coined to give the meaning disciple. A disciple is a learner. Discipline means learning to obey rules. A child needs discipline, so, children should first learn to obey their parents and elders at all times, as they know what is best for them.

They should be trained to behave themselves, by being obedient, honest and hardworking through example. There must be discipline in a school. Students must know to obey school rules. They will learn nothing without discipline. Even in sports and games there must be discipline.

A football team must obey its captain and the rules of the game. There is always strict discipline in the army and other forces. If, the soilders do as they like and not obey orders, they for instance will bring disrepute to the army, and also lose the battle. We must first learn self-discipline. We must learn how to govern ourselves, control our temper and our selfish desires.

We must discipline ourselves, do what is right always at home, at school and in society. If we make a commitment to first discipline ourselves at home, then we will not find it difficult to be subject to discipline at school or in society.

Jennifer Joseph, Grade 7, Kingston College International, Wellawatta.

Let’s use water economically

Water is our life blood. Water may be a tiny dew drop, an ice cube, a brook, stream, river or waterfall or an enormous ocean, but it has its own use and fascination. It’s essential for the survival of both man and animal. Even though we are a tiny island, we are blessed with plenty of water.

Somehow or the other, the majority of us can quench our thirst because there are many water bodies in our land. Ancient rulers of our country obviously understood the value of this precious natural resource.

Being an agricultural country, we have had a fine system of water management then. The great King Parakramabahu is reported to have said that “not a single drop of rain should reach the sea without man making some use of it”. The Parakrama Samudraya he built stands testimony to the value he placed on this precious liquid.

Water is precious to us and we need to protect our waterways. Protecting waterways and keeping them clean is a good habit that must be cultivated from one’s childhood. Both schoolchildren and the general public should be educated about using water economically because it is becoming scarce in the world today.

Though many rules and regulations have been imposed to prevent water pollution, the effectiveness of these laws is limited. Water is really wealth that needs to be preserved. It is very sad to note that some people still have not realised the value of this natural resource.

F. Nusriya Mahmood, Grade 8, English Medium, Al-Mubarak Central College.
 

My favourite sport

My favourite sport is cricket because it is a very interesting sport. In a cricket match, sometimes, no one knows which team would eventually win until the last ball is bowled.

Cricket has a history of more than 100 years. The first cricket match was played way back in the 1890s between Australia and England. That was a test match.

After that, various other forms of matches such as one day fifty over matches and Twenty20 matches began. In cricket many different types of gear and equipment such as bats, wickets, bowling pads, gloves, helmet and arm-guards are used.

Cricket has produced many great players like Sir Garfield Sobers, Steve Waugh, Brian Lara, Nassar Hussain, Sachin Tendulkar, Saeed Anwar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Andrew Flower and Shaun Pollock.

Most of the countries have cricket grounds today as matches are played across the world. Cricket’s greatest tournament is the ICC World Championship Trophy. This tournament has been played for many years. The first World Cup winners were the West Indies. The other World Cup winning countries are Australia, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Australia has won the World Cup four times. Australia has the greatest cricket team I have ever seen because Australia holds the first place in both one day and Test cricket rankings. I wish someday Sri Lanka too will become the greatest cricket team of the world.

Asela Laksisi De Silva, Grade 6-D, Malabe Boys’ Model School, Malabe.
 

A great museum

Martin Wickramasinghe, the greatest Sri Lankan writer of the last century, was born in Koggala in 1890. The house he once lived in has been turned into a museum today. The late author’s personal belongings and original furniture have been well preserved and carefully arranged in the various rooms.

The visitor gets the impression that the author has only just stepped out for a stroll along the Koggala beach as the house looks as if it’s been lived in still.

In the gallery Martin Wickramasinhge’s life and times are presented through photographs, paintings, sketches, souvenirs and awards he had received during his time. Copies of published works and handwritten manuscripts are also displayed at the museum.

The well-displayed items at the museum help to create an image of the man and the writer and also the bygone times. I enjoyed visiting this great museum.

Sachini Herath, Grade 8, Hillwood College, Kandy.
 

My class teacher

My class teacher’s name is Mrs. Lalitha Chandrasekara. Her home town is Pallevela.She is forty years old. There are three members in her family; her husband, daughter and herself. Her husband is a bank manager. Her daughter, Ruvini goes to campus. My class teacher is a degree holder. She teaches History. She is a very clever teacher. She says she likes to be a principal of a school one day.

Ashinsa Ronali, Kuliyapitiya Central College.
 

Value of friendship

A friend is our most valuable treasure. A friend is someone who will stand by you in trouble or in joy. A sincere friend will never fail you.

It costs us nothing to make good friends. We can have true friends only if we are willing to give our best for them. Selfishness and dishonesty can never make or keep friends. We must be sincere and true at all times. Only then can we have sincere friends.

The friendships we make must be cultivated in gentleness and love. We must be unselfish thoughtful, gentle, helpful and patient. We can keep our friends by a thousand expressions of our sincerity. We must be watchful of our acts and deeds at all times so as not to hurt their feelings.

A good friendship brings mutual benefit. Friendship knows no limit to service; it yearns to give not to receive, not to be served but to serve as it’s often said.

We should choose our friends carefully so that we can let them into every part of our lives. We should form friendships that would enrich our character, stimulate us to do better and good things in life.

It is said that he who has a sincere friend finds he lacks nothing.

Raahini Saruananthan, Grade 9, T/St. Mary’s College.

My friends

I have many friends. Some of them are really good friends.

We share our food during the interval. We also help each other in our studies.

Our class teacher likes us a lot because we work hard. We score good marks in every subject. My friends never use bad words or fail to do their homework.

My brother always tells me “a friend in need is a friend in deed”.

My mother knows all the parents of my friends.

R. Tharuka Dilrangi Fernando, Grade 6 - C, Holy Family B.M.V, Wennappuwa.
 

My village

The name of my village is Ulhitiyawa. It is situated near the sea-beach. The nearest town is Wennappuwa.

Many people live in this village. Most of them are fishermen. We can see their nets and boats on the shore. There is a school and a church at Ulhitiyawa. Every morning fish mongers and many other people come to the beach to buy fresh fish.

There is a bazaar on the beach road. Sometimes tourists come to my village. The setting of the sun on the Ulhitiyawa beach is very beautiful. I love my village.

W. Achini Sugandika Fernando, Grade 6, Holy Family B.M.V. Wennappuwa.