Features | Online edition of Daily News

Recognised regional languages Maithili, Nepal Bhasa, Bhojpuri, Tharu, Gurung, Tamang, Magar, Awadhi, Sherpa,Kiranti, Limbu

Nepal is a landlocked country in South Asia and, as of 2010, the world’s most recent nation to become a republic.

It is bordered to the north by the People’s Republic of China, and to the South, East and West by the Republic of India. With an area of 147,181 square kilometres (56,827 sq mi) and a population of approximately 30 million, Nepal is the world’s 93rd largest country by land mass and the 41st most populous country. Kathmandu is the nation’s capital and the country’s largest metropolitan city.

The mountainous North has eight of the world’s ten highest mountains, including the highest, Sagarmatha, known in English as Mount Everest. The fertile and humid South is heavily urbanized. It contains over 240 peaks more than 20,000 ft (6,096 m) above sea level.

By some measures, Hinduism is practised by a larger majority of people in Nepal than in any other nation. Buddhism, though a minority faith in the country, is linked historically with Nepal as the birthplace of the Buddha.

A monarchy throughout most of its history, Nepal was ruled by the Shah dynasty of kings from 1768, when Prithvi Narayan Shah unified its many small kingdoms. The first President of Nepal is Ram Baran Yadav.

Today is Vesak Poya day

Dear Children,

Are you all ready to celebrate Vesak? I am sure all of you must be ready with all your colourful lanterns.

The festival marks the Birth, Enlightenment and Passing Away of the Buddha. It is not only the streets that are illuminated and decorated with Vesak lanterns and Buddhist flags but all Buddhist houses too, specially today and tomorrow. The Buddhist flag is a common sight at this time.

How many of you children are planning to observe Sil? Meditation as you may know is helpful for one’s spiritual development. Children should engage in religious activities and don’t forget to be clad in white when you go to temple.

Most of you children may have already observed Sil in school to mark the festival. Children can participate in various competitions like Bakthi Gee, dramas, essays which are organised at school and national level.

Although today Vesak has become commercialised with lantern and pandal competitions with valuable prizes on offer, we should give prominence to religious events.

I am sure children would not miss the Dansals offering drinks, ice cream and various food items on the way to temple or while Vesak sight seeing. Don’t forget to be with your parents and elders all the time when on the street.

As you may know Vesak is celebrated not only in Sri Lanka but in other South Asian and South East Asian countries like Nepal, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Indonesia and India. UN has declared Vesak as an international holiday.

The heart of the teachings of the Buddha is contained in the teachings of the Four Noble Truths, namely;

Aunt Anji

Vesak cards to collect funds for school library fund

Primary Division students of President’s College, Maharagama have come up with a novel idea for a worthy cause. They plan to set up a Children’s Library Fund for the school.

Six students have combined their creative talents by producing three Vesak cards with paintings and poems on the advice of Assistant Principal W H R Damayanthi.

The proceeds from the sale of three Vesak cards will help set up the prposed Children’s Library Fund.

“By strengthening the inborn talent of the students and to introduce them to the society and to teach them how to involve in helping their school” is the motive of this project assistant principal told Daily News.

The students who are engaging in the project appeal to the public to buy their creations and to contribute to the fund and made their dream of children’s library a reality.

Contact Assistant Principal, Primary Division, President’s College, Maharagama W A R Damayanthi for more details.

Youngest person to climb Everest

American Jordan Romero (13-year-old) became the youngest person to reach the peak of Mount Everest last week.

According to news reports Jordan has one more peak left to climb in his quest to reach the highest peaks on all seven continents. He was nine years old when he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.

Before Jordan, it was Temba Tsheri of Nepal who held the record for the youngest climber to scale Mount Everest. Tsheri was 16 that time.

The Graceful One

- Part 23

In ‘Kid’s Den’...

She was one of the prettiest of the elves. There was a soothing feeling in the air whenever she travlled and she had a divine touch that she had inherited from birth.

Her mother, the Divine Healer, had been more powerful in that aspect but her time had come many years ago when she had fallen victim to an evil wizard. It was said that she had given up her life to save many others who possessed less powers than she had but had lived lesser years than her.

Four children, Pramodaka, Nalaka, Champika and Chinthaka, go on a trip to the woods with their parents for their school holidays. In the middle of the night the children are awakened by a strange noise. On following their dog, Scooby, Chinthaka is snared by the spell of the ‘luring stones’. Pramodaka departs with Ruwi, a pixie, to recall a book of spell to cast off the spell while the others remain behind with Sachi, a gnome. A storm breaks and the kids are scattered.

Meanwhile Sulo, the goblin who is always trying to make trouble for the mythical creatures, comes up with a nasty plan. She rushes off gang up the rest of her pack and reveals an age old secret.

However the group discovers that it is not only Sulo’s secret that is uncovered by the storm. Something dark and deadly had been hidden in the depths of the earth waiting to release itself and return for revenge...

(‘Return of the Kids’ is the sequel to ‘Kid’s Den’)

She had been tiny then and did not remember any of the details but she had walked this earth for many years and believed that she herself will have to make such a sacrifice when the time comes.

The Graceful One looked up with a start when she heard the bell clanging in the distance.

Her senses were alert. There was danger in the air that even her father, chief Jay, could not explain.

Suddenly a smile played on her lips. She rose and moved towards the entrance of the room. It looked as if she was floating and an onlooker would have been surprised to see that despite the elegant and calm movements she managed to walk out the building quickly.

“Let them in... They have come to see me,” she whispered to the brownie who stood on guard at the gate. A surprised look replaced his scowl.

He had been enjoying ordering visitors to turn around since they had made no appointments to call on any of the Elders. Many visited the place to plead with the Elders but only a few managed to make their way beyond the gate. Rules were very strict here and they have delivered an oath to guard the place with their life.

She had almost given up the hope of entering the building as the brownie at the gate had been determined not to let them through. It had only been a few minutes since they reached the place but it already felt like hours and each passing minute the brownie seemed to have grown nastier in his comments.

Unknown to Ruwi Zira had been looking around for a stone to chuck at the bad tempered brownie when they were permitted to enter.

Pramu looked dazed while all Zira could managed was a breathless “gosh, we are really going in.” Shamilka gasped.

Following her graze Ruwi saw the Graceful One smiling down upon the group from the upper steps of the castle.

To be continued

The moon

The moon comes at night
With her friends - stars so bright
The moon is very cool and whole
In light and sight in the night.
The moon shows us her face
With beaming smile in each phase
Of her departing journey so soon
After a fortnight it shines as full moon.

Pen-pals

Name: P.H. Madhawee Malshani
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Hobbies: Reading story books, watching TV
Pen-pals preferred from: England, Australia, USA, China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka
Age group: 17-24
Address: No. 37/A Sankalpagama, Makandana, Piliyandala, Sri Lanka


Punchi Apitath Vesak by Savinda Kaushan (Year 4). Poem Madura Sankalpha (Year 5)	Danata Wadina Sadula by Janidu Devinda Perera (Year 4). Poem by Ashan Dinuru Wijesiriratne (Year 5)	Ape game Budu Perahera. Painting by B. A. Pasindu Wirajath (Year 4). Poem by Sahan Prabath Ranasinghe (Year 5)