[Winner]

The chilling cycle ride

It was a bright sunny day. One of my friends invited me to join him for a bicycle ride. Unfortunately, I did not have one and I had to ask my brother to lend his cycle to me. He said he cannot lend it. I was annoyed with him and I took his cycle when he was away from home.

I hurried to meet my friend. We cycled on the land and approached a steep mountain. We decided to cycle on it. It was amazing for a while, but when I realised the brakes were not working I shrieked with fear. I then fell and hit a building. When I opened my eyes I was on a hospital bed.

My brother was next to me. He said that he did not lend his cycle because it was to be repaired. It was my fault for disobeying him.

L.H.T. Deshan,
Grade 9F,
Mahinda College, Galle.

[Winner]

The country I wish to visit

My dream is to visit the United States of America one day. I would like to visit New York, California and Washington because there are many interesting things to see. The capital is Washington DC. The President of USA is Barak Obama. The currency used is the US dollar.

There are famous places such as the Pentagon, The Statue of Liberty and the Golden Gate Bridge. I would like to visit Disneyland, Hollywood and the Zoo in San Diego.

The American people are friendly and fun-loving. It is made up of many nationalities. I hope to meet children of different nationalities and learn about their culture.

Sasini Sitara Mudalige,
Grade 7,
President’s College,
Kelaniya.

[Winner]

Let’s educate street children

Day by day, the number of street children seems to be increasing in Sri Lanka as well as in other countries. We see street children roaming the streets. These children end up on the street due to many reasons such as poverty and loss of parents.

Many villagers do not know to read and write. They think that their children should work in farms or cultivate paddy like them. We should visit such schools and help educate village children.

The Government should take steps to build schools for street children and educate them. If this happens, I think the number of street children will reduce. We can even improve the knowledge of these street children by fulfilling their needs. It is our duty to educate street children and help them. We must think all people are equal irrespective of their class and breed.

Our motherland is a developing country. The fact which makes our country stagnate is due to poverty and the increase in the number of poor people.

The world is in our hands. All of us are the future angels of our motherland. Let us protect street children and help them as they are the citizens of our motherland. By this we can make our country and other countries prosperous states.

F. Rimzana Basheer,
Grade 7B,
Sailand International School,
Seeduwa.

[Winner]

Importance of English

English is the most widely spoken language is the world. It is estimated that about two billion people in the world use English to communicate. English is based on a simple 26 letter alphabet.

English is spoken as the first language by about 400 million people around the world. It is the official language of many countries. It is also the language of science, aviation, computer, diplomacy and tourism. It is the language of the Internet.

It is the dominant business language. Its importance in the global market cannot be measured. Learning English can change your life.

It is the language of the media industry. Therefore, by learning English you could access a great wealth of information and have a greater cultural understanding.

Learning English is useful, as it gives you a lot of mental satisfaction as well.

Although, learning English can be challenging and time-consuming, it creates many opportunities.

Shimzera Zakariya,
Grade 11E,
Al-Azhar Central College,
Thihariya.

[winner]

My trip to Japan

During the April vacation, I went to Japan with my family and my grandparents. We left for the Katunayake Airport at 11.30 p.m. on April 12, and left for Japan on SriLankan Airlines. It took about eight hours to reach the Narita Airport. My uncle was there to welcome us.

The next day, we went to see Mount Fuji. It is a snow-capped mountain and a beautiful sight. We saw Sakura flowers on the way. We visited Tokyo Disneyland. I enjoyed the boat ride in the ‘Splash Mountain’, the most. We saw many dramas such as the ‘Sleeping beauty’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’

We felt sad when we visited the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial hall which was set up in August 2002 for victims of the atomic bomb. It is an expression of Japan’s desire for genuine and lasting peace. This hall shows the tragedy to people around the world. It will ensure that the future generation will learn from experience. Names and photographs of the A-bomb victms and A-bomb memoirs are there. We learnt a lot of important things.

My trip to Japan was a good experience and we returned home on April 27, with pleasant memories of Japan.

Sujaya Chanmal Gunasekara,
Grade 6H,
Lyceum International School,
Wattala.

Mahathma Gandhi

Gandhi was called Mahathma because of his integrity and non-violent principles. Mahathma means ‘Great Soul.'

Gandhi started his career as a lawyer not in India but in South Africa. He firmly believed that violence should not be encouraged.

He held regular fasts as a protest against violence in the Independence struggle. Gandhi continued to protest and was arrested on several occasions.

Gandhi's message of non-violence, home rule for India and welfare for all people irrespective of caste or religion was advocated for restoring India's glory in the modern world.

In 1948, Gandhi was shot dead by a Hindu fanatic, Nathuram Godse. His last words were "Don't harm that man." Gandhi should be appreciated and should never be forgotten.

Zaid Naheer.

Importance of trees

Today we are living in an era of Science and Technology. Technology has made our lives easier and comfortable. Science alone cannot determine everything as we are bound by the laws of nature. In this aspect trees play a vital role.

Rain is necessary to produce crops. There is no grain without rain. Only rain can help the ‘Green Revolution.’ That is the reason why central governments insists on ‘A house- A tree’ policy.

Trees give us food, medicine, oxygen and cosmetics. Trees also give us firewood and coal. The air that we breathe is known as Praana vayu. Praana means life. Here trees give us life.

Sasna Rashad,
Grade 9,
Hill Country International School,
Kandy.

Sad news

It was a Sunday and I went to the Dhamma School. As soon as I went, I tried to locate my best friend Dayani.She was not to be seen at the Bomaluwa, Banamaduwa or in the shrine room. I went to the Bomaluwa again, to look for her. Seetha akka was sad and came running towards me.

‘Do you know Amasha? Dayani died in an accident last evening, she said.'I was shocked at the sad news. I could not believe it and I cried aloud.

Amasha Kavindi,
Grade 5,
Great English Institute, Kaduwela.

The value of education

It is through education that we learn about the world, society, religion and environment. A good education helps us to secure good jobs. Reading helps us to widen our knowledge. So let us all educate ourselves.

E.M. Thiwanka Thathsarani,
Grade 8D,
Humbuluwa Central College, Alawwa.

My sister

My sister's name is Dulakshi Umesha. She is 15-years-old. She studies at the Royal International School in Kegalle. Her favourite colour is blue and her favourite subject is Science.She helps me whenever I have a doubt in my Science lessons. We play badminton, cricket and chess together. Sometimes we fight but I love my sister very much.

Nathasha Sonali,
Grade 4B,
Royal International School,
Kegalle.