Folk tales of Sri Lanka:

Gamarala goes to school

Retold by R.S. Karunaratne

Once upon a time there lived a Gamarala and his wife - Gama Mahage - in a remote village. Game Mahage had studied upto Grade five and she could read and write in Sinhala. However, Gamarala had never attended school and he could not read or write the language.

One day while she was cooking the mid-day meal Gama Mahage had a brainwave. She immediately ran to the garden and met Gamarala who was mending the broken fence.

“I want to tell you something important,” she broached the matter.

“What’s that?”

“You must go to school tomorrow and learn how to read and write.”

“How can I go to school? The children will laugh at me,” he protested.

“No, you don’t have to attend the village school. Go and join the school in the adjoining village. The school is situated in a temple and a Buddhist monk will teach you the alphabet”.

“But I don’t know the alphabet”.

“Don’t worry. You repeat what the monk says and very soon you’ll learn the alphabet”.

On the following day Gamarala left home early in the morning to the school in the adjoining village. He walked through a thick forest, crossed a river and went along a five-mile long footpath to reach the temple where the school was functioning. When he went to the temple, the monk had already started the class. He heard small children repeating some words taught to them by the monk.

“Why are you standing there?” the monk asked Garamala. He immediately remembered his wife’s advice.

“Why are you standing there?” Gamarala repeated the words thinking that it was the first lesson.

“Are you mad?” The monk asked.

“Are you mad?” Gamarala repeated the words quite happily.

The monk began to laugh at the strange man. The children in the class too started laughing loudly.

Gamarala who realised that it was not a good place to learn the alphabet beat a hasty retreat. Then he began to return home through the same route he had taken.

In the course of his return journey he felt very hungry. He remembered the packet of rice and curry his wife had given him in the morning. After having his lunch he thought he should relax a bit. In order to avoid any confrontation with wild animals, he climbed a tall tree and sat on a branch. Before he could say Jack Robinson he fell fast asleep.

When he got up, the forest was bathed in moonlight. Suddenly he remembered his first lesson learnt at the temple and began to repeat the words.

“Why are you standing there?”

“After repeating it several times, he said,

“Are you mad?

While he was repeating his first lesson he saw a gang of robbers running away from the tree. He thought that he should investigate.

When he came down the tree he saw a heap of gold coins, gems and other valuables lying at the foot of the tree. Then he collected all the valuables and returned home safely. While accepting the valuable items, Gama Mahage thanked him for going to school.

Now, you can see the results of learning the alphabet. The first lesson itself has made you a rich person.

However, you need not go back to school. What you have learnt is quite enough.”

Gama Mahage, in fact, did not want her husband to get into another scrape.

Young Scribes:

He reformed educational system in Sri Lanka

Dr. C.W.W. Kannangara is regarded as the Father of Free Education in sri Lanka. He was an eminent Sri Lankan educationist who rendered a yeoman service for the development of education in our country.

He became the Minister of Eduction in 1931 and made great changes in the education system. He worked hard

 to bring about reforms in education. He realised that the educational system prevailed at that time was not at all suitable to our country.

The main objective of his educational reforms was to help the poor village children who lacked educational facilities. He saw that there were rural children who had inborn talents in various fields. He wanted to pave the way for these children to develop their talents. In order to fulfil this requirement he started the system of scholarships.

Dr. Kannangara can be regarded as a national hero who paved the way to both urban and rural students to receive free education. The concept of Central Colleges was his greatest contribution to the development of eduction in Sri Lanka.

In 1940 there were nine Central Colleges functioning in the country at Minuwangoda, Veyangoda, Akuramboda, Matugama, Weeraketiya, Kattankudy, Ibbagamuwa, Dickwella and Marathugoda. By 1944, there were 22 Central Colleges. This number was increased upto 50 by 1946.

These colleges produced bright students who step to the world as talented administrators, engineers, doctors, educationists and athletes.

Doctor Kannangara was very honest in his words and deeds. As schoolchildren we are indebted to him forever.

Gnei Salma Bucker
Gr. 6 B,
Sailan International School,
Negombo

Write a letter

Write a letter, write a letter
To a friend, an old aunt
To anybody you like
For it is great fun
Make it short
Or make it long
But not boring
What is so exciting
About writing a letter?
You may ask
All the excitement
About writing a letter
Is receiving another one back
Full of news for you to read!

Nillasi Liyanage
Gr. 8D,
Musaeus College
Colombo 7

My best friends

I have two best friends. Their names are Maleesha and Madara. They are nine years old like me. Both of them come to school by school vans. We all go to Ceylinco Sussex College at Nugegoda. Both my friends live in Moratuwa. They like to eat biscuits, Tipitips and toffees. We share the food when we buy from school canteen.

Maleesha has two brothers but Madara and I do not have any brothers or sisters. Maleesha has curly hair and Madara has short hair. They love me very much and I also love them very much.

Kithara Dharmawardhane
Gr. 4B,
Ceylinco Sussex College,
Nugegoda.

My brother

My brother is Seniru Nanayakkara. He is seven years old. His school is Trinity College in Kandy. He is in grade 3. He lives in Galigamuwa. He goes to school by van. His birthday is sixth of December. He plays with me. He is very funny. My brother fights with me sometimes but I love him very much.

Hiruni Vidanapathirana
Gr. 2,
Ceylinco Sussex College,
Kuliyapitiya

Why was it difficult to find the source of the Nile?

The Nile flows 4,145 miles through Africa. For many centuries, no one knew where the Nile began. In 460 B.C. the Greek historian Herodotus tried to find the source. The Roman emperor Nero sent troops, but they were blocked by a huge swamp. After the 1,600s some thought that the source was Lake Tana in Ethiopia, which is the source of the shorter tributary, the Blue Nile.

British explorers Richard Francis, Burton and John Hanning Speke finally found the source of the Nile in 1858. After a long and difficult journey, they found that the White, Nile, which contributes 80 percent of the river’s water, flows out of Lake Victoria in central Africa.

The spider and the fly

“Won’t you walk into my parlour?”
Said the spider to the fly.
“No, thank you!” said the other,
“Not unless you tell me why.

“The fact is, all my feet are stuck,
And I’ve a sort of hunch
That I must struggle free again
Or figure in your lunch!”

“How right you are!” the spider said,
“But sure as I’m a sinner,
I’ve got five minutes’ tight-rope walk
Before I catch my dinner!”

“Why, that’s O.K!” the fly declared,
“I’ll only be a minute!
By all means try to catch your lunch
But you will never win it!”

Starting at the spider’s fore-legs, see if you can catch the fly in less than one minute, travelling over the continuous lines only.