Anagarika Dharmapala, a great personality

Winner:

September 17 in 1864 is an important day for Sri Lankan Buddhists, for Anagarika Dharmapala, who did a great service to Buddhism was born on that day. His parents were Mudliyar Don Carolis Hewavitharane and Lady Mallika Hewavitharane. The times were not good in Ceylon then; the people were living under the British rule and adopting European ways. The Sinhala Buddhist culture was dying out gradually.

Under the missionary education system, young David attended St. Benedict's and S. Thomas' Colleges, which were both Christian schools. In 1883, he finished his schooling after attending Royal College. Meanwhile, young David learnt Buddhism, Sinhala, Pali and Sanskrit under Ven. Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera. His association with Ven. Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera instilled in him a great love for his religion and nation.

Inspired by a lecture given one day by Col. Henry Steel Olcott (who came to our country with Madam Blavatsky on May 17, 1880), David Hewavitharane wanted to be of some service to his country. As a result he joined the Theosophical Society which had been founded by Col. Olcott. He changed his name to Dharmapala, a Sinhala Buddhist name and also chose an Anagarika (celebate)lifestyle.

As a member of the Theosophical Society, Anagarika Dharmapala travelled with Col. Olcott, translating his lectures into Sinhala. A skilled speaker he was able to kindle in his audience a love for the country and religion. He travelled all over the island in a special vehicle called the 'Sobana Maligawa'. Without limiting his Buddhist missionary movement to Sri Lanka, Anagarika Dharmapala travelled all over the world. Taking with him the lamp of dharma he went to America, China, Japan, England and many other countries.

On his trips abroad, Anagarika Dharmapala visited factories in those countries. His idea was to use knowledge gained from these trips to develop small industries in Sri Lanka. He started a factory in Sri Lanka where the youth could find employment. Anagarika Dharmapala founded the 'Amadyapa Vyapara' to eradicate the consumption of liquor in Sri Lanka.

The present government too has undertaken the task of drug prevention through the 'Mathata Thitha' programme. It shows how Anagarika Dharmapala's ideals suit even the modern society of today.

In 1891, Anagarika Dharmapala went to Bodhgaya and founded the Mahabodi Society. Its aim was to win back Bodhgaya for Buddhists. In 1895, he sought the help of the law and was successful.

As a result of long hours of hard work Anagarika Dharmapala became very ill. In spite of his illness Anagarika Dharmapala travelled to India to finish the work on Mulagandhikuti Vihara. In 1931, he entered the sasana as Siri Dewamitta Dharmapala. After years of unending service to our motherland and Buddhism, Anagarika Dharmapala passed away marking the end of an era.

Nillasi Liyanage,

Grade 10 F,Musaeus College,Colombo 7.

The place I would like to visit

Winner:

Out of all the places in Sri Lanka I would like to visit Anuradhapura. It is a religious place.

Buddhists in our country visit Anuradhapura to worship the Buddha. There are many temples such as the Sri Maha Bodiya, Ruwanvelisaya, Lovamahapaya, Abhayagiriyaand Thuparamaya in Anuradhapura.In ancient times, Anuradhapura was the capital of Sri Lanka. Long ago there was a king called Dathusena who built a large tank known as Tissa Wewa. There are many more large as well as small tanks in this place. Some of them are Abhaya Wewa, Nuwara Wewa and Basawakulama Wewa. Most of the kings during the Anuradhapura period contributed to the development of the agriculture sector of Sri Lanka.

The sacred rock, Mihintale is situated in the Anuradhapura district. Many foreigners as well as Sri Lankans visit Anuradhapura to study the history of this beautiful city. The reason I would like to visit Anuradhapura is that I believe by learning about the history of this city I will be able to improve my social studies.

Irushi Shalanika Samaranayake,

Grade 6 B,Lindsay Balika Vidyalaya.

Reawakening of the North and East

Winner:

My mother once told me that the Northern Province was the best place for a vacation when she was young. Jaffna was the centre of Tamil learning and culture. At the heart of the city was a library which was known to be the best in Asia. Anything planted on the soil blossomed into a harvest and the hard working Jaffna farmer deserved it.

Another district in the Northern Province is Vanni. The sacred Madhu church which has now been opened after 30 years is also situated in the Vanni district. In those days people looked forward to the Madhu festival and went there with their families.

In the Eastern Province lies a beautiful land bordering the sea where mythical singing fish would sing in the night. Fishing, a living for thousands of people in Batticaloa had been banned due to the war.Digamadulla, which is also in the eastern province, has a unique feature. It is one of the two districts where people of all religions live in equal proportion, enjoying racial harmony. Digamadulla had acres of harvestable land. But the war turned everything upside down. These valuable assets of our country were destroyed. People had to leave their homes and live in refugee camps. All these districts need the attention they deserve. Now that the war has stopped, let us help our country in the best possible manner to develop and regain its past glory.

Gulnaz Ashroff,

Grade 10B,Hejaaz International School.

The seasons

Winner:

Seasons and climates are there on Earth because of the weather. The Moon has no air or water so there are no seasons and climates in it.

In Sri Lanka, there are two seasons. They are the dry season and the rainy season. In the dry season, the weather becomes very hot and streams and wells all dry up. In large lakes only some muddy water remains.

The water levels in rivers and reservoirs also drop. The fish in them die. In the dry season, it is very hard to find drinking water not only for the people, but also for animals in certain parts of the country. Many walk miles to find some drinking water. Most animals die on the way, without water in drought stricken areas.

The South West Monsoon and the North East Monsoon bring in the rainy season. Rivers, tanks, water-holes, streams and wells overflow with water then. Trees, shrubs and vines become fresh and green; once more water and freshness is everywhere.

In the rainy season, there is plenty of food and water for animals too. Farmers are happy, because they can start their cultivations.The seasons in Europe and other countries are different from the seasons in Sri Lanka. Most countries have four seasons. They are spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Spring is between winter and summer. Autumn comes after summer and before winter. In winter there's a lot of snow and it's cold.

K. Saloni M. De Silva,Grade 6-B,Ave Maria Convent Branch School,Akkarapanaha,Negombo.

A visit to a great author's house

Winner:

I think everybody knows about Martin Wickremasinghe, one of the greatest authors in Sri Lanka. When we remember Koggala, Down South, we cannot forget his residence. I was fortunate enough to visit his village, situated near the Koggala Lagoon.The old house was built on a huge garden which has lots of endemic trees and a beautiful lotus pond too. We had to buy tickets to enter the premises.In his house, the furniture he used and some of his old clothes were on display. I saw a large number of books neatly stacked in cupboards.

There was a museum displaying the various items, old carts and boats used many years ago down south.Among the items I mostly liked the puppets, masks, musical instruments, lace work, wood carvings, old kitchen items and jewellery.Finally, we went by boat to the bird's Island in the Koggala Lagoon. It is the island that "Upali" and "Jinnah" lived in Martin Wickremasinghe's famous book Madol Duwa.

I think that we should honour Martin Wickremasinghe for his great contributions to writing.

Bhagya Pandithakaralege,

St. Bridget's Convent,Colombo 7.