Dam bulla, a place of historical importance

 Winner:

Dambulla is one of the places of historical importance in Sri Lanka. It is situated exactly 160 kms from Colombo. It is a city which is not only great and glamorous, but also famous in the tourist industry. Tourists who visit Sri Lanka never fail to visit Dambulla for its main attraction, the historical cave temple. Sigiriya which is only 10 kms away from Dambulla is world famous too for its frescoes. The other attractive places are picturesque Kandalama, Kaludiya Pokuna and Namal Uyana. This city belongs to the dry zone. One can experience bird watching at Kandalama. Kingfishers, woodpeckers, parrots, pigeons and several migrant birds can be seen at this place.The most valuable trees like ebony and satinwood trees can be seen in Dambulla. The chief crop here is rice. There is an international cricket stadium too in Dambulla. The largest market 'The Economic Centre' in Sri Lanka is in Dambulla. In the evenings it is at its height of activity; this continues until very late at night. Almost all the vegetables grown in Sri Lanka can be seen there.

 Dulanja Samaratunga, Grade 4,Sussex College,Kurunegala.

The value of time

Winner:

"A stitch in time saves nine" is an old saying. What do you mean by this? It means not to waste time. In the present world we can see people wasting time by just idling. Being children, we should try to make the maximum use of time, by studying and going through our school work. If we visit some offices, we could see many people working; but most of the time we see some of them on the mobile phones, chatting instead of working. Time is very important to us in our day-to-day activities. If we waste time we shall not be able to do most of our work. Therefore, I would like to tell my friends, not to waste time, but to make the maximum use of it, always. You can never buy back the time you wasted. Nichola Senaratne, Grade 9 Com B, Lyceum International School,Wattala.

Your Poems

Tribute to my grandfather

Winner:

A grand grandfather
As soft as a feather
As gentle as a deer
As strong as leather
As clam as the sea
You coped with all
How slowly you ate
Every single bit
Very lively you were
So good and kind
Singing songs with us
In a very nice voice
Striving to make it a better place
For everybody at home
Travelling with a load of food
Coming top our neighbourhood
Telling us: 'It's for your own good'
You did everything you could
But still you left us alone
I wish I could prolong your life

Rashmi Mohotti, Grade 7-A, Girls' High school, Kandy.

Pirith chanting ceremony for the President

Winner:

A "Pirith" chanting ceremony was organised on November 18 to bless President, Mahinda Rajapaksa on the occasion of his 64th birthday and fourth anniversary of his becoming the President of Sri Lanka.

The popular, kind-hearted President, who is all smiles was born on November 18, 1945 at Medamulana, Weeraketiya in the Ruhunu Rata or the Southern Province. It was four years ago (on November 18, 2005) that he took oaths as the President before the Chief Justice, Sarath Nanda de Silva.

So, in order to bestow the blessings of the Triple Gem that a Pirith ceremony was organised by the employees of the Presidential Secretariat.

The ceremony was held in a religious atmosphere at Temple Trees, the official residence of the Head of State in Colombo. It was an all night chanting to be followed by an alms-giving to the Maha Sangha.

I watched the religious function on TV that day till 12 midnight.The President was seated on the floor like a brave Sinhala king in the ancient times. He appeared majestic. By his side was seated his wife, the First Lady, Shiranthi Wickremasinghe Rajapaksa, his sons, brothers, friends and relations. They were dressed in the national costumes and "osaris".

There were several monks assembled to perform the ceremony. A beautifully decorated wooden enclosure was set up for the monks to take their seats. A big roll of Pirith thread was also held in the hands of both the monks and the listeners.

Finally, the monks blessed the President, the First Lady, Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and all citizens of the country, now united under one flag without any distinctions of majority race or minority races.

Pasan Malaka Randula Elapatha,

Grade 7,

GM/Parakrama Maha Vidyalaya,

Bandarawatte,Gampaha.

My favourite game

Winner:

Sport plays an important role in our lives. It helps us to lead a relaxed and healthy life. When we participate in sport we become strong, energetic and healthy.

There are various types of games such as netball, basketball, volleyball, cricket, badminton and swimming. Among these my favourite game is cricket.

Cricket is a popular game in Sri Lanka. It is played in many countries. It is an outdoor game. If we need to play a cricket match we need a bat, ball and three wickets and we need eleven players. There are 50 or 20 overs in a cricket match. Before a cricket match is started there is a toss. There are many tournaments such as IPL, ICC and Twenty20 matches.

My favourite player is M.S. Dhoni.

I am so proud that my favourite game cricket is the game that has made Sri Lanka famous.

Husna Salahuden, Grade 6-B,

Hejaaz International School,

Dehiwala.