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Thursday, 14 March 2013

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Internet: The good and the bad

Dear children,

Today we have access to many technological devices which were not even heard of during the time of our parents or grandparents. All of you have benefitted from modern inventions. Especially the computer has made our work much easier. It takes you only a few minutes to browse the world wide web in order to get any information you require -may be of latest world news, of memorable events of the past, of historic figures, medical information, latest fashion trends or in short simply information about anything!

You can get the electronic (e) version of books that you read in print. I am sure most of you make use of internet facilities to enrich your

knowledge and for your educational purposes. Electronic mail has made communication a thousand times easier than it used to be. I am sure all of you enjoy these benefits. Even though some of you may not have a computer of your own, you must be using it either at your school or at a relative’s place.

Remember that it is a must to have computer skills as it makes your work easier. However it is with great care that you have to use the internet. Make sure that you use it always for your own good. As is the case with anything, Internet too has a bad side as well. There are many instances where young children have fallen into trouble by using this facility without proper guidance. If you communicate with people via Facebook, Twitter, or any other similar sites, you have to be very careful. Make sure that you keep contact with reliable friends.

Similarly there are websites which are not suitable for children.There may use several tricks to entice you and make you get attracted to them. You have to be careful of them. The best way to minimize such unpleasant things from happening is by seeking your parents or teachers guidance whenever necessary. Also you have to be mindful too.

From your very early days you should know how to look after yourself, to know what is good and what is bad.. But remember that as your guardians we are always there to help you when necessary!

Bye for now, Sanju ([email protected])


[Great Minds]

Father of Hydro Power in Sri Lanka

D J Wimalasurendra:

Have you ever looked at a waterfall and loved the sounds and the power of the pounding water? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to harness the power of this water and use it to light the bulbs in your house? Lucky for us, long before we were born, someone already tried to figure if the water in our country could be used to generate electricity. He was Devapura Jayasena Wimalasurendra. His name goes down in history as the father of hydro electricity in Sri Lanka.

Born on September 17, 1874, D J Wimalasurendra was the eldest son of a master craftsman known as Mudliyar Don Juan Wimalasurendra of Galle. He had his early education at Ananda College, Colombo and continued his studies at the Ceylon Technical College.

He later became a Corporate member of Electrical Engineers and Civil Engineers of the United Kingdom. After he joined the Public Works Department (PWD) first as a head overseer soon to be promoted as Junior Engineer, he was sent to the area along the Kelani river called the Kelani Valley to look for minerals. He not only identified mineral deposits but also saw tremendous potential in the Laxapana falls. Looking at the cascading water of the Laxapana falls it is recorded that he described it as “white coal.”

Since that day, in 1901, his interest was to harness the water of the Laxapana falls and other waterfalls in the country in order to generate hydro electricity.

In 1913 he was involved in the construction of the first ever, small hydro electric power station at Blackpool to supply electricity to the Nuwara Eliya town, using the town water supply scheme. Among his other feats was his design of “looping the loop” railway track at Demodara railway station, which still remains as an edifice for his creativity.

In 1918, D J Wimalasurendra read a paper titled Economics of Power Utilization in Ceylon to the Engineering Association. He described to the members of the association the benefits of developing hydro power projects in Sri Lanka. He estimated that 114.5 MW could be developed from Kehelgamuwa Oya. But the Englishmen of the association, for this was during the rule of the British, doubted his plans would work. They also wondered what the country would do with 114.5 MW of power. He answered them by explaining how valuable cheap power would be for heavy industries needed for the development of the country. He also suggested electricity could be used to operate the railway system.

According to an article in the website of the Ministry of Power and Energy, when they heard him, D J Wimalasurendra’s colleagues laughed at him. His supervisors smiled at his ideas. Others disrespected him for what they called his “Journeys into the realms of fantasy.”

Despite negative campaigns, however, work on the Aberdeen-Laxapana scheme commenced in 1924, only to be suspended in 1927. It would take another 12 years for the work to resume. The first stage of the scheme was harnessing the Kehelgamu Oya to generate 25 MW of power.

By the 1950s when the project was nearing completion, D J Wimalasurendra was a retired electrical engineer in his mid 70s. Determined to see for himself the progress of the scheme he had started he visited the project site at Kehelgamu Oya and said that although he was not so fortunate as to supervise the completion of the project, he was glad to witness others completing the work he had begun.

“Although it was not my fortune to execute the scheme I have originated, I am happy that I lived to see it brought to fruition by my countrymen, and that I should have, in the evening of my life, able to see in reality the dawn which I saw in the mind’s eye over half a century ago” he said looking at the Hydro Electric Scheme of Laxapana Stage I. “Now, if I leave this world, I leave fulfilled.”

Today, with 40% of the annual electricity generation in Sri Lanka coming from hydro power which is considered one of the cleanest and cheapest sources of energy in the world, he could undoubtedly rejoice his dream has come true.


A dream

In my bed room one day
I saw what I had never seen
My bedroom was full of roses
where I used to sleep everyday
And I saw many birds flying
and singing songs for me,
And many colourful
butterflies sucking
nectar from the flowers
And filling my heart with pleasure
and wonder.
Suddenly somebody knocked
at my door. I woke up,
Then I understood it was only
a wonderful dream.



65th Independence Day celebrations
of Anderson Park Montessori

Students of Anderson Park Montessori, Kalubowila celebrated the 65th
Independence Day with a parade promoting
unity and harmony among all races under the theme ‘We are Sri Lankans.’
Here are some highlights of the event.

 


 


Barn Burning (2004) will be screened on March 16 at
3.30pm at the American Centre, No 44, Galle Road, Colombo
3. (Running Time: 40 minutes) An adolescent boy in post
Civil War Mississippi must reconcile his innate sense of
justice and his loyalty to his father. Please contact the
American Center at [email protected] or at (011)
2498100 with any inquiries.


 

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