Winner: World Environment Day

World Environment Day falls on June 5 every year. This day was declared by the United Nations to increase world awareness ond environmental issues. This day was established in 1972 and the first World Environmental Day was celebrated in 1973. It is a very important day in the UN calendar and events are organised worldwide to celebrate this day. Events such as street rallies, green concerts, essay and poster competitions are organised by many groups. Apart from this, campaigns are also organised to keep beaches and streets clean. Environment day is hosted by a different country every year. This year Environment Day will be hosted by Angola and the theme will be Illegal trade in Wildlife. Our environment is threatened by both natural and man made causes. Let us do whatever we can, even in a small way, to protect our environment.

Chathura Deshan Peiris,
Grade 10,
Wadduwa Central College,
Wadduwa.

Winner: Farming in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has been an agricultural country from ancient times. Sri Lankan farmers grow paddy and other grains such as kurakkan, green gram and corn. Paddy is the most commonly grown grain in our country. Rice is our staple food. There were no machines or chemical fertilizers in the past and farmers helped each other. This was called athtam or ‘giving a hand’. The paddy field was ploughed with the help of buffaloes. Buffalo driven ploughs are seen even today in rural areas.

Sara Rasmini,
Grade 4,
Swarnamali Girls College,
Kandy.

Winner: My Country

Sri Lanka is a small, beautiful island in the Indian ocean. Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and Burghers live here. There are many beautiful places in Sri Lanka such as Sigiriya, Kandy, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Trincomalee. There are also many waterfalls such as Dunhida, Diyaluma and Laxapana. Mahaweli ganga is the longest river. The President is Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister is Ranil Wickremesinghe. The capital of Sri Lanka is Sri Jayawardenapura, Kotte. The national flower is Nil Manel and the national tree is Na tree. Sri Lanka exports tea, rubber, coconut and gems. The Independence day is on 4th of February. I love my country very much.

Raakiny John Karunanithy,
Grade 8,
Hindu Ladies College.

Winner: My best friend

My best friend is Sakheel. He is an Indian. He is eleven years old. He lives in Singapore. I met him in school when I lived in Singapore. He likes athletics and we took part in competitions together and won many prizes. We also played for the soccer team in school. He had a good sense of humour and made us laugh a lot. Even though he was an athlete he was good in his studies. It has been a year since I came to Sri Lanka from Singapore but I still remember the things we did together. One day I hope to go to Singapore to see him again.

Methul Laksara,
Grade 5,
Royal Institute,Gampaha.

Winner: Sir Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton was a great mathematician and scientist. He was one of the most learned men and one of the greatest thinkers in the world. One day when Sir Newton was sitting under an apple tree in the garden, an apple fell on his head. He thought about why the apple fell down and investigated it and discovered gravity. He is best known as the discoverer of the Law of Gravitation. He died in 1727 at the age of 85.

Ummu Kulzum Lafir,
Grade 9,
Ilma International Girls’ School,
Beruwala.

A trip to Jaffna

I couldn't believe it when my father said that he was taking us on a trip to Jaffna on the 30th of December 2010. I still remember waiting in a well lit dusty street in Wellawatte for the Jaffna bus. The bus arrived and we got into it quickly. The seats were large and comfortable. They were in pairs. I sat next to my little brother and we both stared at the hustle and bustle. At last the bus started and we went through endless roads passing hundreds of buildings. Gradually darkness surrounded us and I felt sleepy and closed my eyes.

When I woke up I saw the most beautiful sight in my life. The soft orange light of the sun was falling on a lagoon that was stretching out endlessly. There were soft ripples in the water and far away fishermen were throwing their nets in the glistening water. As we moved along I saw women in sarees and shalwars with their shawls swaying in the wind riding on bicycles.

Once we settle down in our rooms the first place we decided to visit was the city centre. It was noisy and dusty and the vendors showed off their best marketing talents. We had a breakfast of dosa and vadai and proceeded to travel to Nagadeepa which is a small island little away from Jaffna. When we arrived at the jetty a few small boats packed with tourists were ready to leave. Many people carrying all kinds of goods were waiting for boats. At last we got one and I climbed into it with a tinge of excitement. The island of Nagadeepa was a beautiful place with a little temple in the centre. The smell of the sea and its salty spray tickled my nose and the soft sand covered my feet. I wanted to fly like a bird across the island and sail through the ocean like a fish. It was so overwhelming.

Our next visit was to the Jaffna Public Library. There was a large number of books and I wished I could read all of them. Then we went to the less crowded places in Jaffna. The countryside was beautiful with green paddy fields. In between there were scenes of destruction that resulted from the terrible war. But development was going on, and as we were returning tears filled my eyes when thinking about the sad lives of the people who lived there during the war.

Lenmini Thuduhena,
Grade 10,
Hejaaz International School, Dehiwala.

Importance of reading

Reading is important because it helps us gain knowledge and to learn new languages. My favourite hobby is reading. I like to read novels, short stories, newspapers and magazines. I have a small library at home. Many people like to read because it gives them information about the world and its environment.

K.A. Dipna Laksirini Karunarachchi,
Grade 7,
Bandarawela Central College.

Happy Life

Everyone likes to be happy and live a happy life. We can be happy by being helpful, generous and kind. But some people think that only money can make them happy and they do anything to earn money which is wrong. Cultivating good habits brings happiness. Happiness is good for the health.

Rashmi Bandara,
Grade 10,
R/Sivali Central College,
Ratnapura.