Children

Learn different languages!

Dear children,

For many of you Sinhala is the mother tongue, for others it is Tamil. But I know all of you learn English and use it widely.

Can you converse in any language other than your mother tongue and English? How many of you can speak in Japanese, French, German or Hindi? Some of you must be learning these languages in your schools. Hope you enjoy your Japanese or French lessons.

As you grow older you may feel the importance of learning different languages than you do now.

The ability to speak in different languages makes you feel confident about yourself. Imagine you are making a tour in France. English is not widely spoken in France. Hence you will feel comfortable if you know at least the basics of French. You can make French people happy by greeting them in their own language.

It is the same with other languages also, be it Tamil, Sinhala, French, Japanese, Hindi, German or any other language.

Knowing a language also means knowing a different culture. Learning different languages is fun. And there is more to it. As American poet Ezra Pound once said the sum of human wisdom is not contained in any one language!

Bye for now,

Sanju : [email protected]

Sunny Stories:

Unforgettable Discovery

Marshi could not remember when she first started to read books written by Enid Blyton. She felt as if she had always been reading these books. "You must have read them from the day you were born" her sister Hasini teased her.

The first books Marshi read were about an old gentleman called Merry Mr. Meddle. Then, one day when her grandpa took her to the library she discovered other books written by Enid Blyton. From then on she started to read The Famous Five and The Secret Seven books.

The orange bag

After sometime Marshi managed to collect all the twenty one books in the Famous Five series. She received some of these books as birthday presents, some were bought by her father from secondhand bookshops while some belonged to father's sister, Marshi's aunty Dinu.

Wherever Marshi went she took two or three Famous Five books with her. She carried the books in the small, orange cloth bag her grandma sewed specially for her. She enjoyed reading these books over and over.

Last weekend Marshi's father and mother took Marshi and Hasini to visit father's cousin who worked in a bank in Chilaw. When they reached uncle Kapila's house and started to take out the bags from the car Marshi gasped in dismay. "Oh No," she cried. "I have left my orange bag at home with my Enid Blyton books in it."

"Don't worry" said mother. "Uncle Kapila might have some children's books you could read."

"It is only till tomorrow that you will be without your Famous Five books" reminded father. "Now you cannot stay with your nose stuck in a book" Hasini jumped up and down in joy. "You will have to play with me!" she exclaimed.

Uncle Kapila greeted them warmly and asked them to make themselves at home. He noticed the sad look on Marshi's face. He too turned his lips down and pretended to cry. He took a handkerchief from his pocket and blew his nose. He said in a sad voice, "When you are sad I feel sad too."

Hasini giggled. Marshi glared at her.

"She has forgotten her bag full of books" Hasini explained to uncle Kapila.

"That is not a problem," said uncle Kapila. "I have some children's books on my bookshelf in my study. They are the books I read when I was your age."

"Can I see them?" asked Marshi eagerly. "Have you got any books written by Enid Blyton?"

"No. Nothing by Enid Blyton" Uncle Kapila shook his head. "But I have got Madol Duwa , Ape Gama and Mallige Viththi ."

Marshi was disappointed. "I read only Enid Blyton books" she grumbled. "These books are really good" uncle Kapila assured her. "You will love them." "If you don't want to read them, come and play with me," said Hasini and dragged Marshi into the garden.

That night before she went to bed Marshi walked into uncle Kapila's study and took Madol Duwa into her hands. She still wanted to read a book about the Famous Five. She felt safe and happy when she read the books written by Enid Blyton.

She was convinced she would not like uncle Kapila's books though she had not read them yet. But tonight she had no choice. She carried Madol Duwa to her bed and started to read the first page. An hour later when mother came to switch off the light Marshi was still reading the book. Uncle Kapila was right.

The book, written by the doyen of Sinhala literature, Martin Wickramasinghe, was truly fascinating. She fell asleep to dream about the adventures of Upali and Jinna who made the remote island on the Koggala Lake called Madol Duwa, their home. On Sunday afternoon when they said farewell to uncle Kapila, Marshi asked him if he could lend her the other two books; Ape Gama also written by Martin Wickramasinghe, and Mallige Viththi written by Gunadasa Liyanage. Uncle Kapila was more than happy to let Marshi borrow the books.

"Anything to see you smile, Marshi" he said, but added "You must have the courage to discover new things, open new doors. You will be like a stick in the mud if you do not step beyond the familiar." Marshi was happy she had started to read the new books.

She knew from now on, there will not only be the Famous Five books but other books too in her orange bag. Instead of opening one door and waiting till it closed to open another, Marshi realized it is surely better to open every door the moment you see one.

"That is right," said father when Marshi told him about this unforgettable discovery.

"You have to leave the safety of the shore if you are to discover new land."

Aditha : [email protected]

Vandalism

While vandalism is cruel
They who do it are fools
Spray painting on walls
Hacking all the bridge tolls
The burning of houses
Trying to stop it, the firefighters
Pictures of your school on Facebook
Don't worry about their looks
Damaging of others property
Because of their quality
Stealing from places
As they remove all your laces
Vandalism is cruel

Sasindu Vidura de Mel,
Year 8
St.Mary's College
Dubai - UAE