Sri Lanka is an agricultural country. Our economy depends on agriculture. The Sri Lankan farmer plays an important role in our economy. They live in villages.

Most of them live in the dry zone. Farmers produce grains and vegetables. He has to till the fields, sow seeds and reap the harvest. He gets up early in the morning, takes his mammoty and goes to the field. He ploughs and weeds in the field.

His life is very simple. He wears simple clothes. He lives in a wattle house. He is very poor. The Sri Lankan farmer has many problems.

Sometimes his harvest is destroyed by natural hazards such as floods and droughts. Sometimes animals destroy his crops The farmers use traditional methods and old implements.

Their harvest is poor because insects, pests and rats destroy their harvest. They can't sell their
harvest at a high price.

Sometimes they can't sell it at all. New methods and latest implements should be introduced to Sri Lankan farmers. If he is given more facilities he will produce more grains and vegetables.

An unforgettable day in my life

By Resitha Peiris (12 years), Panadura

My family and I got up early. We went to Pinnawala Elephant Orphange. The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is in Kegalle district. The road that leads to the orphanage is about two kilometres from Kegalle town, on the Kandy road. We had lunch at 1.30 p.m.

The orphanage was started in 1975. There are baby and adult elephants. They are all rescued elephants. Farmers shoot at elephants when they come to their villages. Sometimes they throw fire bombs to scare them away. Some elephants fall into pits, wells and water holes, when they come in search of water, in the dry season. Some injured elephants fall on the way. They cannot get up because of pain, hunger and thirst.

Every morning, the elephants walk in a line to the Maha Oya for bathing. They love to be in the water for a long time. They look like rocks when they lie in the water. The mahout scrubs, brushes their bodies with coconut husks. The adults eat fodder, coconut leaves, jak leaves and kitul trunks.

My best friend

By Savindu Herat (8 years), Royal International School, Kurunegala

My best friend is Naveen Perera. He is nine years old. His hobbies are painting pictures and collecting stamps. He won three gold medals for art competitions.

His father is a doctor and his mother is a teacher. His ambition is to be a doctor like his father.
I love my friend very much and he loves me. May God bless my friend with a long life.

Value of the Jak tree

By Dileepa Tissera (10 years), Ecole Internationale, Kandy

The Jak is a giant tree grown in various parts of Sri Lanka. There are many kinds of Jak trees. Some trees bear large fruits at a young age. They grow in every part of Sri Lanka. Mostly, Jak trees are grown in villages.

The Jak tree has various names. Some of them are 'Bath Gasa' and 'Kap Ruka'. People say Bath Gasa because we can substitute Jak for rice. People can prepare various kinds of
curries from Jak fruits. When the fruit is small, they use it as 'Polos Ambula'. When it gets a little larger they use it to make 'Polos Mallun'. 'Kiri Kos' is made with fully matured Jak bulbs and when it is ripened it is called 'Waraka.'

Mr. Arthur V. Dias launched a project to grow more Jak trees all over the island. So he is popularly called 'Kos Mama.' These days Jak trees are under threat because people cut them to get their valuable timber. So we must protect Jak trees for the benefit of the future generation.

Ramazan Festival

By I.M. Saffan (Grade 6), Ceylinco Sussex College, Kurunegala

The Ramazan festival is held in October every year. It is a holy day and is fun. It is a function held after fasting for a month. It is a joyful day for Muslims, especially for children.

On that day all Muslims go to the mosque. They prepare all kinds of sweets in their homes. We visit our relations' houses. Uncles and aunties give us presents. We take sweets to other homes also. It is a time of peace and harmony. I love that day.

My favourite cricketer

By Abdullah Manzil (6 years), Trinity College, Kandy

My favourite cricketer is Kumar Sangakkara. He studied at Trinity College. He is the captain of our team. He is a left hand batsman and a wicket keeper. He has a good average. I like him very much.

My puppy

By Nirmani Dasanayake (11 years), Mahamaya Girls' College, Kandy

Tibby is my puppy small,
Always loved by all,
Wagging its tail when given food,
Barking friendly then it stood.

Cute puppy I have got,
Sometimes naughty,
But always not,
Well brushed, well cleaned.
Tibby is my naughty pup.

Jimmy the dog

By Jessica Meegama, (9 years), St. Bridget's Convent

This is a true story. It is about a dog named Jimmy. Jimmy belongs to my mother's cousin-in-law, Aunt Nishanthi.

One day Jimmy had crept out of the gate and run down the lane. He had gone in front of a neighbour's house and had done something a little naughty. A lady in that house had come out with a pole and hit Jimmy so hard on its head that one of its eyes had got really hurt.

Jimmy had run back home, pouring blood from its head. When he reached Aunt Nishanthi's house, it had been in a pool of blood. Aunt Nishanthi had taken Jimmy to the vet immediately. The
veterinary surgeon had said that there was no choice but to operate and take out Jimmy's wounded eye. Even though my aunt was heartbroken she had agreed to the operation.

When I saw Jimmy after his operation, I could not believe that people could be so cruel. Jimmy's little head with one eye brought tears to my eyes.

I want to make a request from all the children and adults. Please be kind to animals so that we can make this world a better place to live in.

Let's protect our environment

By Akhila Karunaratne (13 years), Samudradevi B.V.

Environment is our surrounding. In the environment we can see trees and creepers, bushes, waterways, mountains and animals etc. The environment gets its beauty from them.

But now most people pollute the environment without thinking about the advantages we gain from Mother Nature. We get food, rain, fuel, wood and shade from the environment. The waterways give us water and the animals and plants give us food and beautify the environment.

Now people pollute the environment in various ways. Garbage, domestic waste, chemicals, harmful gases and smoke are the things which pollute nature.

Every citizen in a country has to know the importance of the environment. Mother Nature is a valuable resource for us because human brings can't live without a clean and beautiful
environment. If the environment is clean, the people will also be healthy. So, let's protect the environment together and make a wonderful world.

Dangers to health

By Poorni Gunewardana (Grade 4), Royal Institute, Havelock Town

Some drugs can have good effects. These drugs are given by doctors. These drugs are called medicine. Such medicine helps to cure sicknesses. We must take medicine in the right
quantities for the right length of time.

All drugs are not medicine. They do not give us good effects. These drugs are called harmful drugs such as, alcohol, tobacco, solvents and caffeine. Some people take these drugs to feel calm or excited, make their muscles work harder or keep awake when they are tired.

When people take harmful drugs they become addicted to them. Their behavior changes and they want to fight, or take dangerous risks. They don't respect others. Alcohol can damage the liver and brain. Smoking tobacco can damage the heart and lungs and can even cause cancer.

My mother

By Senara Gunasekara (8 years), Oasis International School

My mother's name is Shilani. My mother's age is 40. She loves me very much. My mother is very beautiful. My mother always tells me stories. I always call her my good mama.

My mother is a Buddhist. She is a little fat. She cooks me food. My mother is the fairest mother.

She calls me Sweety. Her hair is black colour and very long. My mother likes flowers. She likes to eat vegetables. She does lots of work in her office. My mother can dance very well. She likes to go on trips. My mother likes birds.

The Margosa Tree

By Susal Dabarera (8 years), St. Peter's College, Bambalapitiya

The Margosa tree is a medicinal tree. In my school, St. Peter's College, it is to be seen right at the entrance. There are around twenty-five Margosa trees in my school.

Margosa trees are narrow. The Margosa tree is a disinfectant and another name for the Margosa tree is 'Kohomba.'

There are many leaves on the tree and many branches too. The bark of the tree is very hard. I love Margosa trees because they are very useful to the world.

Fruits

By Mafafa Anwer (Grade 1), Harrow International College

There are different kinds of fruits. Some have a few seeds, some have many seeds and some only one seed. Fruits are very good for us. Fruits are very tasty.

My favourite fruit is the mango. There are lots of fruits. With fruits we can make jams and juices. There are many colourful fruits. Animals, birds and people can eat fruits.

Some fruits are small and some fruits are big. We can all eat fruits. I like fruits very much.