Poverty leads to begging

Winner:

Hundreds of beggars both young and old can be seen in our popular cities like Colombo, Kandy, Kurunegala, Anuradhapura and so on. Many other beggars go from house to house in rural areas. Most of these people have taken to begging due to various factors prevailing in our society. Poverty, parental death and illness, loss of parental love and affection, and the loss of love and care of the children for the elderly are some of them.

The number of beggars is increasing day by day. Many beggars are disabled, but a majority of them are able bodied and can earn their livelihood by doing some sort of work. But they prefer to beg because of their laziness and because it brings quick money. They think that begging is the easiest way of living.

Even children in the age group of five to ten years can be seen begging. Most of these children have lost their parental love and affection. According to the police many of these children become criminals when they grow up.

During the past few years, several camps had been established by the government for beggars. But, they don't like to live in these camps. So, most of them have escaped. Beggars walk the streets under the scorching sun and also get wet in the rain. But, these things don't affect them. They have become accustomed to such hazards and prefer to live as beggars most often. Very few try to make a better life.

The Government must take necessary steps to eradicate this prevailing problem. They have to be taught how to live without depending on others. Rehabilitation will help to decrease the beggar menace in Sri Lanka.

Sanduni Hiranthika,

Grade 12,

Carmel Balika MMV,Chilaw.

The need for a healthy diet

Winner:

It is a pleasure to discuss our diet, but when doing so we have to consider not only quantity, but also their quality. We are happy to eat delicious food at every meal. Most Sri Lankans like to have snacks and short eats. But, we must give a very important place for a balanced diet.Healthy eating is not about strict nutrition philosophies, staying unrealistically thin or depriving yourself of the food you love to eat. Rather, it is about feeling great, having enough energy and keeping as healthy as possible. All of this can be achieved by learning some basic nutritional facts and incorporating them into your life in a way that works for you.

Healthy eating begins with knowing how to "eat smart". It is not just what we eat, but how we eat. Paying attention to what we eat and choosing food that's both nourishing and enjoyable helps support an overall healthy diet. You should take time to chew your food, savouring every bite and enjoy eating. Eating small, healthy meals throughout the day, rather than the standard three large meals help to keep our metabolism going. We need a balance of carbohydrates, protein, fat, fibre, vitamins and minerals to sustain a healthy body, not just the 'fad' diets we usually love to have.

Eating fresh food is an important part of a healthy diet. A healthy diet improves our energy and feeling of well-being while reducing the risk of diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Adding regular physical activity and exercise will make any healthy eating plan work even better.

Hashini Thanuksha Wickremasinghe,

Grade 11,Central College, Kekirawa.

Tourism boosts the economy of a country

Winner:

Tourism is the world's largest industry. It has both positive and negative impacts on the lives of people. A tourist is a person who travels to a place that's not his usual environment and stays there for awhile; at least a day.

A country or place which needs to lure get tourists should have some sort of an attraction, proper accommodation, catering facilities and also good transport.

Most people want to escape from this busy world; from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day lives and relax their mind. So, they want to explore the world and go for holidays to tranquil places or travel about to see beautiful places.

Tourism is, therefore, very important to the economy of a country. Tourists should be able to enjoy themselves. But, when developing the tourist industry the people living in that area shouldn't have their lifestyles disturbed.

Unfortunately, because of tourism many problems have arisen. Some of these are overcrowding, pollution which causes damage to the environment disrespect being shown for the places, people and culture and the introduction of drugs. But, tourism can have many benefits if it is managed properly and sustainably. It's a great money spinning industry which is important to developing countries like Sri Lanka.

Devmini Thilakshi Perera,

Grade 10,

Gateway College.

I am a little bird

Winner:

I am a little bird flying freely in the blue skies above in rain or sunshine. While flying I catch my prey-insects.

I fly over rivers, seas, mountains and waterfalls. I get up at dawn to catch some worms. When I fly up in the sky, touching the cold clouds, I feel happy and so proud to be free. I know little children envy me for they can't fly like me. I love you little children, but you throw stones at me and injure me sometimes.

I build my nest in the tree tops to lay eggs. My wife and I work hard to make it a feather bed to lull our little babies, but you naughty children and also the snakes destroy our home. I'm afraid of big birds like eagles and even you little children. Please don't hurt us or destroy our homes. We never harm you, so why harm us?

Praveen Mihirange,

Class 7A, (English Medium,)

St. Aloysius College,Galle.

All kinds of food

Winner:

Do you know that people around the world eat strange kinds of food? For instance, in China, birds nest soup is a common food items in restaurants. In France many people eat cooked snails. The Japanese eat raw fish because they think it makes them healthy.

In some parts of Africa people eat fried insects. In some other African countries and also Arab countries people eat roasted locusts. There are different types of food which is special to each country. People like to eat various types of food. What's your favourite food?

Many people prepare special food during festival times. In Sri Lanka, for example, we make 'milk rice' for the New Year or at weddings and other special occasions.

Astronauts on space flights take special meals. These are frozen-dried and are very light. They are not tasty, but they provide a lot of energy.

Have you heard of this special dessert called Baked Alaska? It is a pudding with ice cream and crust on top. It is hot and cold at the same time. It is baked in the oven before it is served. It sure is an unusual dish, don't you think?

Maythaf Iqbal,

Grade 8E,

Badi-udin Muhmud Girls College,Kandy.