BOOKS.

“Books are keys to wisdom’s treasure,
Books are gates to lands of pleasure,
Books are steps the upward lead,
Books are friends, come let up read”

This little verse tells of the great value of books. There was a time in the history of the world when only the rich were able to buy books and educate themselves, because, then, books were in manuscript form (written by hand). But after men like John Guttenberg invented the Printing Press, books came out in thousands and the poor man was able to obtain the goodness of education. The renaissance gave an added fillip to spread education. So education spread like wild fire.

The free lending libraries and mobile libraries do a great service in spreading the habit of reading. “A good book is the life blood of a master spirit,” says Milton, and so by reading, men’s intelligence and knowledge are increased.

Byron said, “One drop of ink can make a million think.” This means that the written word can reform society. Great writers have written millions of books for man’s knowledge and pleasure.

Any man can gain pleasure by reading books. On the other hand, books can corrupt and destroy the society, so book have their merits and demerits. But the merits far outweigh the demerits and so the school master is abroad, which means that good education is spreading and this mostly through books.

My web blog :- http://.Jayanath.wordpress.com
Home page :- www.oasisdamahana.org / Student
E-mail :- lasanthajp@yahoo.com

THOURISM – ITS GOOD AND BAD EFFECTS.

Tourism or tourist industry has become a major foreign exchange earner today. Sri Lanka is famous throughout the world as a tourist paradise.

There are many tourist attractions in our country. Some of them are ruined cities, water falls, sanctuaries, botanical gardens, and sandy beaches. Apart from these, there are a large number of tourist hotels with modern facilities. Also there are sufficient traveling facilities.

Tourism creates a large number of employment opportunities. Thousands of our youth work in tourist hotels. Tourists like very much to visit rural areas in Sri Lanka. Therefore our villagers can sell their products such as handicrafts to tourists and earn money. information centre have been set up in almost all towns for tourists by the Ceylon Tourist Board. At these centers brochures and maps are issued to tourists. Tourists appreciate the hospitality of Sri Lankan People.

Now let us look at the bad effects of the tourism. It is said that tourism has affected the values of our people, particularly our youth. It is true that some tourists engage in anti – social acts. Some of the tourists are drug addicts or perverts. They corrupt our youth. Also they spread incurable diseases such as aids. But we should keep in mind that all the tourists are not black sheep. Many tourists come to rest and enjoy the beauty of Sri Lanka. Some tourists come to enrich their knowledge about our culture. They do no harm to anything or anyone.

As a result of the existing war in our country the number of tourists coming in has dwindled drastically. It is reported that several hotels have been closed down under this situation.

The Ministry of Tourist industry should take action to prevent the bad effects of the tourism. The institutions that are engaged in this trade should extend their cooperation towards the ministry in this connection. Then it will be possible to curb all the bad effects and to promote tourism in Sri Lanka.

In a recent survey conducted by the World Tourism Organization it has been revealed that promotion of sports activities will lead to the promotion of tourist destinations. Therefore the Ministry of Tourism should take action to find out the possibility of holding international. Sports events like Olympic, Games, Cricket, Athletic World Championships in Sri Lanka.

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Home page :- www.oasisdamahana.org / Student
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THE GAME I LIKE MOST

The game I like most is football I like this game because it is a fast game. The twenty – two players making up the two teams are on alert.

It is played with a round, leather covered inflated, rubber bladder, which may be kicked or headed but not touched. It is played on a field generally 115 yards long and 75 yards wide. The goals are 8 yards wide with a cross bar fixed at 8 feed from the ground.

I got interested in football when I was fourteen years old and played for an hour. Gradually I graduated to the under 19 – college team. When I was chosen to play for the District team my interest in the game increased. I began to practice every morning and evening. The year 1963 was a happy year for me. When I was selected for the Ceylon youth team to represent Ceylon at the Fifth Asian youth football tournament in Penang, Malaysia. My position as outside left gave me opportunities to score goals.

As we have gained international status in cricket I wish if we could gain the same in football too.

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Home page :- www.oasisdamahana.org / Student
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Pettigala Mountain

This mountain is the highest place in Balangoda. It is about 4500 feet above sea level. There are many trees in this area. There are Nadun, Dhamba, Mila, Kithul. Nelly, Siyambala etc.

This is a large forest and animals such as Monkeys, deer, and and bears wild live there. Inside the forest is very dark. There are Some caves also.
There are beautiful water falls and springs here. Balangoda town’s water supply depends on these water sourcers.

The villagers get kithul toddy and make honey and jugarry from the kithul trees in the forest. They do this in groups and they earn their living from this.
There are some big Rocks also. We can see the tops of some rocks. The top of one vast rock is octercal shape. Some times this should be the reason for it’s name “pettigala”.

My web blog :- http://.Jayanath.wordpress.com
Home page :- www.oasisdamahana.org / Student
E-mail :- lasanthajp@yahoo.com

NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

Today nuclear weapons are threatening the world with total destruction. If the leaders of the big powers like America, Russia, France, Germany and the NATO do not come to a settlement the whole world is doomed to destruction.

A nuclear war, unlike the previous wars we have seen and read in history, will not be for years, months, days or hours. It will begin and like a flash of lightning, in a few seconds.

While the U.S. was busy with its very expensive space programmers, Russia began a huge military nuclear build – up. The Russians failed in the space in several ways and the United States won the distinction of being the first country to land a man on the moon. So in shame and jealousy, the Russian nuclear machine has been strengthened beyond the U.S. nuclear warheads and if a war were to take place presently, the Russians can be dangerous. No doubt, the NATO powers, along with the U.B., have their nuclear missiles aimed constantly at Moscow, but no one knows what diabolical things the Russians have behind their “iron curtain”.

Today only a button has to be pressed and the nuclear warheads will hit their targets with steady precision and the world will end in heaps of ash and clouds of smoke. He who strikes first has the better winning chance.

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Home page :- www.oasisdamahana.org / Student
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TRUTE.

Truth is a great quality, but not commonly found among men. It is difficult to come out with the truth because it can bring trouble. But a proverb says, “Better a sour than a lie.” A lie which is the opposite of truth can do well as harm. One may lie after killing, and another can be punished for the murder which he did not commit. But the truth will come to the top like oil on water.

Human beings have a sinful nature and so they are prone always to do wrong and deny it. That is the opposite of truth. Children must be taught in early life to speak the truth. Comparatively, the western children more often come out with the truth than the children from the East.

Some powerful people do not like less powerful people speaking the truth, because such powerful people will get into hot water. So, they will do everything possible to prevent the less powerful, speaking the truth. To achieve their end, they will even kill. Christ was crucified because he spoke the truth and so had other martyrs suffered because they lived truthful lives.

Truth is stranger than fiction. In real life, we come across incidents which are truer and more real than what we find in fabricated stories. Truth is most betrayed in the courts of Justice. There is a cartoon in the Law Library of Sri Lanka showing a man in the dock, a court scene and with these words below it. “The fool who spoilt the fun by speaking the truth.”

If all are true in thought word and deed the world will be a better place to live in. But it will never be so.

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Home page :- www.oasisdamahana.org / Student
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A PLACE OF RELIGLOUS IMPORTANCE.

There are several places of religious importance in Sri Lanka. Among them, Sri Pada is regarded as the most important religions place.

Sri Pada is a sacred mountain situated in the Sabaragamuwa province. The distance from Colombo to this place is 101 km. The height of this mountain is 7362 ft.

The chief significance of Sri Pada is that it is held sacred by people belonging to all the four major religions.

Buddhists believe that the sacred foot print at Sri Pada is that of Lord Buddha while Hindus believe the foot prints of Adam. So they called it Adam’s Peak. Christians believe it to be the foot print of Christ’s disciple Thomas. Accordingly, Sri Pada has become a sacred place of all religions.
Devotees go on pilgrimage to this sacred mountain every year. The Pilgrimage season begins in December and ends in May. Thousands of devotees can be seen climbing this mountain during this period. They usually go as groups. The leader of the group is called “Nade Gura”. They recite devotional verses while climbing the mountain. People in all walks of like climb it. The young ones help old people to climb. They climb the mountain as members of a same family. They stop at resting places and have their meals. They share their meals among themselves. They don’t feel tired as their minds are filled with religious thoughts. Some people wear warm clothes as it is cold on the top of the mountain.

It is said that this sacred mountain is protected by God Saman. That is why it is called “Samanala Kanda”.

In ancient times people have been to this sacred place from various parts of the country on foot, as there were no transport facilities then.

It is the bounden duty of everybody to behave in decent manner in this sacred place, where the Lord Buddha has set foot thousand years ago.

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A COMICAL CHARACTER.

The world is full of all types of people as the crooks, the criminals, the cowards, the lazy, the active, the morose, the comic and several other characters. In my opinion, the comic character is a pleasant one, as he bears no ill – will to anyone, but is a source of happiness and laughter to others.

Kings of old had in their courts, clownish and comic characters to make them happy in their dull moments. In English literature, there are clowns like Fester, who amused the rich and in our own Lanka there were men like André, who made all laugh by their antics.

Such a man has l seen in Colombo. He is Mr. Silva. He wears a ragged black coat, torn slacks and an old pair of shoes of different kinds. He normally stands near the crowded stations or bus halts and lectures on the evils done by some of the politicians and says that he would be the next Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. Then he says that he would catch every politician now in power by the scuff of his neck and throw them out, everything would be given free and no Army, Navy or Air Foci is needed for him to rule Sri Lanka. People ask him to what party he belongs. He says “Pus Party.”

Then boys start hooting and pelting him with banana skins and what not and he like the Christ makes a quick get away from the crowd.

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Home page :- www.oasisdamahana.org / Student
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THE PROBLEM OF STREET CHILDREN IN SRILANKA.

Social problems are prevailing in every developing country. In Sri Lanka too there are several such problems. The problem of street children is one of them.

Hundreds of street children can be seen in our populous cities like Colombo, Kandy and Kurunegala. Most of them are in the age group of 5-10 years. The number of street children is increasing day by day.

Why have they become street children? This situation has been arisen due to several factors prevailing in our society. Unemployment, parental death and illness and acute poverty are some of them. These factors have paved the way for these children to leave their homes in search of jobs.

It is said that parental love and affection is essential for both mental and physical development of a child. All these children have lost their parental love and affection. There is no one to look after them. So they roam here and there in the streets. The chief means of living of most of these children is begging. Some children are engaged in odd jobs like pushing carts, washing plates and scavenging. They earn a few rupees by doing such odd jobs. Most of these children compel to engage in illegal and anti-social activities. It has been revealed that certain affluent people employ these children in their illegal businesses such as selling drugs and illicit liquor.

There children have no permanent abode. They have no beautiful clothes to wear. They have no chance of receiving education. They have no comfortable beds to sleep. They sleep in a corner of a building or under the shade of a tree or somewhere in the street. They wear ragged clothes. They eat rubbish dumped in dust bins. They have been deprived of all the privileges enjoyed by the other children.

The government has set up a separate department called “The department of Probation and Child care” for the benefit of these children. But the government alone cannot solve this problem. There should be benefactors for them. The chances of enjoying the Child’s rights depend on the generosity of the more affluent. The social services organizations and other voluntary organizations should extend their co-operation towards the government to solve this problem.

My web blog :- http://.Jayanath.wordpress.com
Home page :- www.oasisdamahana.org / Student
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THE FLORA OF SRI LANKA.

The flora of Sri Lanka means the plant life of Sri Lanka. Our country being a tropical one with plenty of rain and sunshine, we have an abundance of green life. The island almost throughout the year is covered by a green carpet of grass. There are then, the herbs, bigger plants, trees, palms and the jungle giants.

The herbs and smaller plants form the category of medicinal plants and vegetables and even creepers. The bigger plants provide fruits, the palms yield food and drink and the giants of the jungle give wood for furniture and fuel.

Some of the Sri Lanka herbs are so rare that it is said many medicine men come to Sri Lanka for certain herbs found here, but absent even in the Himalayan hills.

With nearly every Sri Lankan meal, vegetables come from the plants and creepers. Toddy and fruits come from the palms like the coconut, Palmyra and kithul.

The giants of the jungle, some over 500 years old as ebony, satin, teak and mahogany etc. provide wood for furniture, some of which are exported.

Animal life has protection from our flora and the tall trees bring down the rain which otherwise would have passed over without giving the life – giving waters from the heavens above. The thousands of birds and myriads of insects find a safe shelter in, on, among and under our wide and varied flora.

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Home page: – www.oasisdamahana.org / Student
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