Folk tales of Sri Lanka:

Vidane vomits seven crows

Retold by R. S. Karunaratne

Rumours are rampant in villages. When a rumour spreads each person adds something to it making it spicy. This is one such story popular in folklore.

One day a villager saw Vidane - a minor official in the village - had vomited all he had eaten in the morning. The villager felt sorry for him.

“What did you eat in the morning? Anything bad?” The villager asked.

“Nothing unusual. Some sweet potatoes and katta sambol”.

“Oh, then you will be all right in a little while,” the villager said.

Before leaving the place the villager looked at the heap of vomit and saw a crow’s feather on it. He left the scene quite astonished by what he had seen.

On his way home the villager met a washerwoman carrying a bundle of clothes on her head.

“Do you know the latest?” the villager asked the washerwoman.

“What? Did anyone die last right?” she asked.

“No, No. Vidane vomited a crow this morning,” the villager said.

The washerwoman doing her rounds visited a house and told the landlord that Vidane had vomited two crows. The landlord listened to her and quickly went into the kitchen and told his wife that Vidane had vomited three crows.

The landlord’s wife ran to her neighbour Kaluethana and told her that Vidane had vomited four crows. Kaluethana who was highly taken up by the latest news conveyed it to her husband who was ploughing the field.

“Vidane vomited five crows this morning. Shall we go and see him?”

“Not now, I want to finish this job,” he said.

The farmer on his way home met Suvanda who used to loaf around the village.

“Suvanda, do you know the latest?”

“What?”

“Vidane vomited six crows this morning.”

“It’s very strange. I must convey this news to others in the village,” said Suvanda running down a footpath.

He met a group of men and women who were walking towards the village well.

“Do you know the latest news?” Vidane vomited seven crows this morning. On hearing this news all the people started running towards Vidane’s house. When they looked for the seven crows, they saw only a crow’s feather.

Stamps:

Germany issues new stamp in honour of Pope

Francis P. Gunasekera

The first ever stamp in honour of the Pope Benedict XVI has been issued by Germany on April 12, 2007. It is said that Germany rarely issues stamps depicting living persons. The Pope was born in a small village in Bavaria, Germany. The stamp coincides with the 80th birth day of the Pope. He is the first Pope of German descent since 1523.

Flags and coins

Series of stamps from the United Nations Organisation

A new series of national flags and coins of all the countries has been started by the United Nations Postal Administration. The series started on October 5, last year has come out with its second set of 24 stamps on May 5, 2007.

This series of special stamps is expected to run for approximately eight years until all 192 Member States of the United Nations are represented. Shown here are eight stamps depicting a flag and a coin of the particular eight nations.The 24 new stamps are in three different currencies for use from the three UN post offices in New York, Geneva, Switzerland and Vienna, Austria. Each UN post office uses the postage rates of the host country.

The pane of the eight 39 cents stamps show flags and coins of the following countries. Burkino Faso, France, Bolivia, Myanmar, Moldova, Papua New Guinea, Mali and Tunisia.

Each stamp includes a security feature that is visible only under ultraviolet light to prevent forgery.

An official of the United Nations Jenny Karia is reported to have developed the concept for this coin and flag series.

Young Scribes:

My big brother

My big brother is Rameez
He likes Toffees

My big brother
Is a big bother

He always hits me.
But he’s not supposed to be.

He gives me his gel pen sometimes
But I do not give the Funday Times.

He is a real money collector
Like a bee that collects honey

He is very cool
But sometimes acts like a fool.

I’m proud of my brother
Because he is so clever.

Rukshath Bany
Gr. 6 G,
Kingston College International School
Colombo 15

*******************

Mama hen and chicks

Look at the little chicks
Walking behind Mama Hen.
Pecking at a seed,
Scratching for a worm,
Haltingly they walk
Around the yard.
Brown and white are the feathers,
Mama hen cleans everyday.
The yellowest of yellow are the chicks
Walking behind Mama Hen.
Do look at the train of chickens
As they walk along,
And do treat them with seeds
If you please.

Nillasi Liyanage
Gr. 8 D
Musaeus College
Colombo 7