Nirosha weerasekara

  Rain Rain at the right time is a blessing to man but at the wrong time it becomes a curse. I like rain because I like cool weather. As long as it does not upset my way of life, I really enjoy it. Rain is essential for life. Man cannot live without water. He needs it for his daily existence. Trees and plants need it to provide man with food and medicines. Not only do provide man with food and medicines. individuals need it but the community at large needs it too. Electricity is obtained from water. Rain provides the water. Water falls bring water down in cascades at great speed. The speed of the water helps to produce electricity. Electricity produced thus is a source of energy to work the industries that bring revenue to the land. Electricity for domestic purposes is a blessing too. Man can hardly do without this. Rain can be the cause of destruction and ruin when it is excessive. Floods cause havoc. They destroy homes, lives, crops and spread disease. Thus rain is a source of bl...

  MAKING OTHERS HAPPY The world needs happiness makers. The world is full of sadness. The need of this hour is happiness. It is the mission of everyone to bring happiness to others. Each one of us can add to the happiness of the world. We can do this in a thousand ways. ourselves to make others happy. If we conscientiously lead a good, pure life, we will find contentment which leads to happiness. This happiness we can pass on to others by doing kindness to all we meet, by comforting sorrow, by helping others in their time of need, sharing their sadness and weariness and scattering benedictions where ever we go. God blesses us only if we are a blessing to others. We must give the best of our life for the good of others. Thus making them happy. Lend a hand to any who wants service. Seek to be a blessing to any one who comes for but a moment under our influences. We are in this world to be useful. We are here to make others happy. We must pass on our blessings and gifts to others so t...

Forgiving others for hurting us by word or deed is not easy. We always feel that we have done no wrong so the other should apologize to us. But it is far easier to forgive another when we have been wronged than to ask for forgiveness when we have wronged others. In the model prayer which Christ gave to his disciples he linked together the divine and the human forgiveness when we pray to God to forgive our sins, we are taught to forgive those who harm us. We should put away all bitterness, all grudges and all ill feeling. Let us remember only the good things others do us. We should not let the sun go down on our anger. Why? There may not be a tomorrow to heal the estrangement. Do not delay. Forgiveness is a God given virtue. When we sincerely consider the wrongs we have done they will count up to much more than the wrongs done We must remember that we ourselves need to us. forgiveness. There are times when our truest friends treat us unjustly. We feel the pain but if we bear it meekly i...

  THE PRIVATE TRANSPORT SY STEM The private transport system was introduced to Sri Lanka about twelve years ago. It has been quite successful in Sri Lanka. At the begining the rates were much higher than that of the Sri Lanka Transport Board. Only the higher income groups could afford to travel in private coaches while the poorer classes couldn't. But at present the rates are almost equal and almost every one is able to enjoy this facility. This system has not been streamlined yet but it was a great blessing when the railway and the SLTB service couldn't cope with the rush. gradually improved. At present the fleet has been increased and the service has reached a good standard. But there is room for improvement. courteous and kind to the commuters. Overloading has caused many accidents and this must be stopped. Then more people will travel and this system of transport will become very popular. The private transport service has The bus crew must be more The intercity service'...

  TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN SRI LANKA  Sri Lanka, the most beautiful island in the world is endowed with natural beauty in every part of it. It was known as Serendib in ancient times and is still known as the 'Pearl of the Indian Ocean". Its wide spreading beaches, its high soaring mountains, the cascading water falls and wide plains attract tourists from all over the world. Tourism has become a money spinner in Sri Lanka. The hill country with its hills and mountains, waterfalls and tea estates is a wide span of natural beauty. The parks and gardens dotted all over it add to its splendor. The hill country is a mixture of the old world and the new. The two main cities, Nuwara Eliya and Kandy are a mixture of the old and the new. Nuwara Eliya is primarily a holiday resort, with its flower shows and horse racing. Kandy which is fast becoming a busy hive of activity still has its old world charm with its religious and historical importance. The Dalada Maligawa which enshrines the To...

  FRIENDSHIP  Friends are gifts from God. A friend is someone who will stand by you in trouble or in joy. A sincere friend will never fail you. It is worthwhile to make friends if they are worthy. It costs to make friends. We can have true friends only if we äre willing to give our life for them. Selfishness can never make or keep friends. The friendships we make must be have sincere friends. cultivated in gentleness and love, with acts of service and grace. We must show ourselves unselfish, thoughtful, gentle helpful and patient. We can keep our friends by a thousand expressions of our sincerity. We must be watchful of our acts and deeds. 12 The blessing of friendship implies mutual helpfulness. Friendship knows no limit to service, yearns to give not to receive, not to be served but to serve. We should choose friends we can take to every part of our life, between whom and us there will be sympathy and understanding. We should accept only friendships that will bring blessings...

The earth is an enchanting place endowed with beautiful nature. The sun, the moon, the stars, the hills, the valleys, the water falls and the unending sky and the sea. All this beauty has its hidden disasters. Cyclones, floods, earthslips, earth quakes, volcanoes and fire are the deadly disasters contained in this beauty. They cause destruction and death and havoc to the environment. Cyclones and floods are common in Sri Lanka. They cause a lot of damage. Very often cyclones and heavy monsoonal rains are followed by floods. Cyclones cause destruction of buildings in the wake of the gale force winds that cause the cyclones. There is heavy loss of life and property. Every year floods take their toll in Sri Lanka, especially in Ratnapura and Kalutara. Many areas were affected by floods in days gone by but with the building of dams across rivers this has been curbed, to a great extent. Earthslips are also a common feature in Sri Lanka. This again is due to excess rain water washing away th...

POLLUTION  Pollution has caused havoc in Sri Lanka. Sudden and rapid industrialization is the main cause of pollution. They pollute the air, land and water. Not only factory wastes but smoke and gases produced by vehicles too pose a great threat to human life and the environment. The dust and chemicals produced are the main cause of this problem. The ozone layer that protects us from the ultra-violet rays of the sun is slowly wasting away. This is highly dangerous. The dust and waste gases we breath in cause dangerous diseases such as cancer and tubocolosis. The waste material that flows into the rivers and seas from industrial areas contains acids and chemicals that kill fish and other creatures that live in the water. If the fish do not die, and we consume them the poison enters into our system and we fall ill. Nuclear bombs exploded in the sea or under the land are highly dangerous. They cause radiation which brings about many fatal diseases. Acid rain caused by dangerous gases ...

  A TRIP TO SIGIRIYA One day during the last holidays my friends visited me. While we were talking Suren suggested that we go on a one day trip. Mahesh suggested that we go to Sigiriya. We were all quite excited. But I was wandering who would take us there. My friends decided to ask my parents. They did, and my parents agreed. So a few days later we left home at 7 o'clock in the morning. The coach was just enough for the twenty of us. Our first stop was at Dambulla. We visited the Rock Temple. We saw the beautiful paintings there. We had our breakfast at Dambulla. We reached Sigiriya at half past ten. We started climbing up the steps eagerly. We first saw the beautiful frescoes. Then we went up to the lion's paw and climbed right to the summit. Then we saw the ruins of King Kasyapa's palace, the bathing pools and the beautifully laid out gardens. We could look around for miles from the summit. fantastic. We had our lunch near the bathing pools. Then we reluctantly came down...

  SILENCE  SILENCE Words that are spoken to help another are golden. Words change a person's feelings and attitudes. They bring joy in times of sadness. They bring relief in times of trouble. Words are so powerful. So is it right to leave words unspoken? No. It is silence that is not golden. Lives are starving for kind and gentle words. Use your gift of speech to give comfort, joy, cheer and hope to all around you. Use it to encourage the weary and the disheartened, to warn those who are going astray, to inspire the lazy and indolent to high and holy motives, to show kindness to everyone. We must speak up also for justice and fair play. There is silence that is golden. When some one tries to poison your mind against another, hold your lips. Characters are blackened, friendships are destroyed, jealousies are roused, homes torn up and hearts broken by slander. Let us never take up an evil report and whisper it to another. Let us never whisper evil things of another. We can never...

  Wesak celebration     WESAK CELEBRATIONS Buddhism is the State Religion in Sri Lanka. The Buddhists belong to the major religious group in Sri Lanka. They celebrate Wesak in honour of Lord Buddha. He was born on a Wesak Poya day. He died on a Wesak Poya day and he also attained enlightenment on a Wesak Poya day. Therefore Wesak is a very sacred day to all Buddhists. On this day there are many religious competitions, such as oratorical competitions, quiz competitions and selecting the best Wesak lanterns and the best Bakthi Gee. Buddhists decorate their homes with Wesak lanterns, coloured lights and the Buddhist flag. Business places put up colourful Pandals depicting Jataka stories and stories from the Buddha's life. They also have puppet shows and dramas staged in the open air. It is a time when most of the Buddhists abstain from liquor and consuming flesh. They visit temples and Pansalas and listen to sermons and observe sil. They give dana to the poor. Many dansalas ...

  The kandy perahara  The Perahera started as a these traditions changed and Perahera bnecame a religious event. 4 es 12 The Kandy Perahera is world famous. Sri Lankans and foreigners from all over the world flock to Kandy in the month of Esala to see this magnificent pageant. The Perahera starts with the 'Kap' ceremony in the Maligawa precincts for five days. On the sixth day the Kumbal Perahera parades the roads of Kandy. The Devale peraheras join the Maligawa Perahera. The Tooth Relic of the Buddha, which is encased in a casket is taken in the procession.   The Maligawa tusker carries the casket. Beautifully attired elephants, Kandyan dancers and drummers are the attraction in this Perahera which parades the streets for five days. This is followed by the Randoli Perahera. The Randoli is also conducted for five days. The Randoli is most spectacular on the fifth night of the Perahera, which is also the Esala Poya day. The whip crackers are the first in the procession. Th...

Hikkaduwa  Hikkaduwa is one of the most beautiful seaside resorts in Sri Lanka. It is world famous for its coral reefs and wide beach. Hikkaduwa which was a quiet seaside fishing town three decades ago is now a hive of activity. Hundreds of seaside resorts and hotels dot the beach. Sri Lanka is lucky to have miles of coral reef which are away from the beach in the sea. The pounding waves break on the coral reefs and they prevent erosion of the coast. The coral reefs are fascinating. They are made of skeletons of millions of tiny coral polyps. They take hundreds of years to grow but unfortunately they are easily destroyed by careless- shore dwellers, fishermen and tourists. thousands of different creatures live in the reefs. Tourists from all over the world come to swim around the reefs, under the water and to see the many coloured corals with their brightly coloured patterns. This is one of the biggest tourist attractions. Fibre glass boats take people to and around the coral reefs...

  Poson Poya Poson Poya is a sacred day for Buddhists. They go on pilgrimage to Mihintale and observe sil and take part in religious activities there. Mihintale is a sacred place of worship to Buddhists. It is high up on a rocky hill. The story behind its importance is that Arahat Mahinda met King Devanampiyatissa there. King was out with his courtiers on a deer hunt. It was Poson Poya day. Then he saw a stag and chased it on his horse. Suddenly he heard someone speaking to him and he stopped. The deer escaped. He asked the Arahat who he was because he called the King by name. The Arahat answered that he was the son of King Asoka of India. He said that he had come to propagate Buddhism, realized that he had done wrong. He regretted it. The Arahat was able to change the King's mind. After this meeting the Arahat asked several questions to find out whether King Devanampiyatissa was intelligent. The King answered well. Then the Arahat preached a sermon to Devanampiyatissa on Mihintale...

KANDY     Kandy, the beautiful hill capital of the central province nestles among the hills. The Mahaweli Gang flows around it. It is in a picturesque setting. It is also a sacred city for Kandy is a historical city. Buddhists. The Temple of the Tooth or the Dalada Maligawa are in the heart of the city. The Tooth Relic of the Buddha is enshrined there. It is no more a quiet and serene place. The population has increased and so have the buildings. The roads are congested with traffic but still it is enchanting. The Dalada Maligawa in all its grandeur and the serene lake by its side add to its beauty. The Victoria dam a few kilometers away from the city is the highest dam in Sri Lanka. The reservoir is in beautiful surroundings. It irrigates thousands of acres of paddy land. The Peradeniya Botanical Gardens which is two kilometers from the city is world famous for the vast varieties of trees and plants that grow there. The Esala Perahera which is held in August is a historical a...