Food and nutrients

Winner:

All living creatures need food to live. Human beings especially require food to grow, reproduce and to maintain good health. We cannot live without food because then our bodies cannot stay warm, build or repair tissues or maintain the heart beat. We should eat sensibly to buildup a certain amount of calories each day. We should avoid eating food which is high in carbohydrates, sugar and fat.

We should have a “balanced diet” everyday. It means a diet which provides us with the main essential nutrients such as carbohydrate, proteins, vitamins, fats and minerals. We need to have a diet that contains a range of different food with fibre, complex-carbohydrates, protein and fat because they provide the body with “fuel”.

Complex carbohydrates are found in fruit, vegetables and food made from grains such as rice, bread and pasta. Fibre helps in the digestion of food and can help prevent bowel diseases. Our body uses protein to build muscles and fat to absorb the vitamins in food. To have a healthy body we should maintain healthy eating habits.

Fathima Nusra Nular
Yasodara Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo.

The healing power of music

Winner:

Medicine means any form of treatment given to combat any type of disease or ailment which affects the general well-being of a person. When we hear the word medicine, what comes to our mind is a picture of pills, capsules, injections, antiseptics, a gamut of tubes and so on. Most often we do not think that music is such a medicine.

Normally people think of music as only a form of entertainment. They use music as a part of the decoration at a party, as a dessert for a dance and an accompaniment for a song.

If we say ‘people make the maximum use of music’, it is wrong. Because, the importance of music as a medicine is not recognised most often. The majority of people in the modern world are keen on fast music as opposed to slow, relaxing music. The reason for this must be that they have no time to relax. As they are busy, the tempo of fast music might be helping them to do their work at a fast pace.

Recently, a medical team at John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, has analysed and proved that music is useful when doing surgery. They experimented by performing a surgery with music on and compared its results with another surgery done without music. The number of breaths taken by the patient per minute had been better in the one who underwent surgery with music than in the other without it. Actually, the music is not heard by the patient during surgery but felt in the body, through the air making the body relax. So, relaxing music is really a good medicine for diseases such as hypertension, coronary thrombosis (heart attack) and many other diseases.

Music can be derived as a storage device of our memories, because, we can store our sweet memories in certain songs or melodies we like. So, I hope that in the future, doctors would include soothing music in prescriptions, taking into account the healing power of music.

W.A. Thilini Shehani Kulathilaka
Grade 11-G
Sujatha Vidyalaya,
Matara.

The job I love to do

Winner:

I would love to become a doctor when I am about my mother’s age.I could help many old and young people who are ill.I could give tablets for the adults and children and syrup for the infants.

It is a very exciting job to do, though it’s a tough one.I would cheer-up the infants when they are crying and restless by giving special things like toys.When carrying out surgical operations I would use gloves, scissors, knives and many other instruments which are sterilized. I do not like sharp objects as I am scared of them, however, I would have to get used to them, if I am to become a doctor.

A doctor could be of great help for children who are ill and also for people who are old and feeble.

That’s why I like to become one. I would be a good friend to everyone.

Dulvi Nimanya Wanduragala
Sussex College,
Kandy.

Sports build strong personalities

Winner:

What is a strong personality? It is an individual who is able to face any challenge in life. How could one achieve this goal? There are many ways and means of building up a strong personality. Along with education, spiritual development should also take place. Education is not just knowledge. It has many aspects. An individual should become strong in mind and body. In order to achieve both these we must engage ourselves in sports activities too.

Sports play a vital role in developing a character. It not only gives physical exercise, but also mental fitness. In a game there are rules and regulations to follow. You have to be extremely honest and stick to the rules. Thereby you discipline yourself and learn to be obedient, honest and hard working.

Sports also teach you to be patient and tolerant. When playing any game you develop team spirit. Thereby you learn to work in unity.

A game such as cricket teaches you to aim well, think wisely and take a quick decision by looking at the direction of the ball being bowled at you. You play this game as a team.

There are team games and individual events as well. In whichever activity you take part, you must learn to accept both victory and defeat in the same spirit.

Sports can teach you many good virtues that will help to build up a strong personality.

Chathumi Vinodya Silva
Grade 9 B,
Devi Balika Vidyalaya,
Colombo 8.

Virtues of the Buddha

Winner:

Prince Siddartha was born at Lumbini. His father was the ruler of the tribe known as the Sakyas. At the time of his birth, the hermits predicted that he would either be a great king or a Buddha. So, his father was looked after him very carefully, giving him all the luxuries and comforts of life. He was not allowed to see the sufferings of the people.

Prince Siddhartha was very kind to animals and birds from his childhood as he had a very gentle heart. When he grew up he married a pretty princess named ‘Yashodhara'. They had a lovely son named ‘Rahula'. In spite of all the comforts, Prince Siddhartha was not happy at heart.

He visited the city many times to see the life led by the common man. The sight of a sick man, an old man and a dead body shocked him. Once he saw a sanyasi who had given away everything he possessed and was in search of salvation. The sufferings of human beings disturbed his peace of mind.One night he left his palace silently and decided to find the cause of sorrow and unhappiness and also the path of liberation. He wandered in search of the truth.

But finally at ‘Both Gaya’ in Bihar he meditated under a Bodhi tree and found a way for ‘salvation’ and peace. He attained Enlightenment.

He preached that our desires and wishes are the cause of sufferings and unhappiness. He laid down eight principles. If we follow the principles, there can be an end to our sorrows and unhappiness.

He preached the message of love and truth. Soon he became popular among the common men because of His simple philosophy. Thousands became His followers. His wife and son also became his followers.

His teachings have brought much change in Indian history. The great King Ashoka embraced Buddhism and spread it in India, Sri Lanka, China, Japan and many other countries. Mahatma Gandhi too was inspired by the Buddha and adopted peaceful methods in his struggle to free India. Vesak which fell on May 6, marked the Birth, Enlightenment and Parinibbhana of the Buddha.

Mohammed Rakeeb Fathima Zulfa
Grade 9,
AK/Addalaichenai M.M.V. (N/S)

Why I love my school

My school Hejaaz International is situated in Mount Lavina. I like the environment of my school because it is neat and tidy. We are not allowed to drop even a piece of paper. The teachers always guide us on how to keep our classrooms and the school compound neat and clean.

We are taught how to arrange our books in the proper order. Not only books, but also whatever we use has to be kept in the proper place after use.

There is a very good library in the school with a wide selection of books. This has promoted and encouraged the reading habit of the students. Assembly is conducted in a very orderly manner.

The students are not allowed to loiter as the prefects are very alert. We always obey our prefects.

Various competitions such as elocution, art, Islamic quizzes and essays are conducted in school. Sports take an important part together with our studies. There are many more things in my school that I like.

I love my school a lot. I aim to be a useful and a good citizen to Sri Lanka and bring credit to my beloved school.

Ismail Hashim Rifhan
Grade 4,
Hejaaz International School,
Mt. Lavinia.