Shanka

  Volleyball - The Game I Love Most I began to play volleyball when I was eleven years old and have been playing since. At first, I joined volleyball for the social aspect only and did not really expect myself to enjoy the sport as much as I have. My love for volleyball grew gradually throughout the years as I began to put in more time and effort into the sport. Volleyball has since become my happy place where I can momentarily forget everything else that is going on and focus on the sport. Volleyball is a game won in three out of five sets consisting of twenty-five points each except the fifth set is consisted of fifteen points since it is the tie breaker. Each team gets three touches to send the ball over the net and no player can touch the ball twice in a row. Each touch is consisted of a pass, set, and hit. Throughout this essay, I will teach you the main fitness components, positions played, and skills needed in volleyball. Volleyball is a game based on endurance, speed, agili...

  A Shramadana Campaign The welfare society of Mugunuwatawana organized a Shramadana Campaign to clean the base hospital of the area. The idea was to give the hospital a new look. A week earlier meeting was called and the members were instructed and mode a them aware of the proceedings of the day. It was held on the 15th of November 2013.As it was a Sunday both young and old people of the area participated willingly. Mrs. Janaki Nanayakkara who was the principal of a nearby school got the help of the school prefects and senior students to make the event a success. Madushan thae head prefect of the school painted the buildings together with his team. The principal and members of the staff also helped by providing the participants with lunch packets. The fence around the hospital was mended and they were able to design a new name board that gave the hospital much prominence. The mayor of the area Mr. Kuma de silva and his secretary Mrs. Maheshi de Alwis were among the participants wh...

Mobile Phone A mobile phone known as a cellular phone is a device that can make and receive telephone calls over around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network. The first hand - held mobile phone was demonstrated by Dr.Martin Cooper of Motorola in 1973.It provides the services such as text messaging, MMS, e-mail, Internet access etc. Mobile phones are used for a variety of purposes, including keeping in touch with family members, conducting business, and having access to a telephone in the event of an emergency. Those days people travelled from village to let friends and relatives known about weddings, births and other events. But at present they can carry it easily where ever they go. As the mobile phone coverage is greater than land line penetration, most people own a mobile phone. In the smaller villages without electricity, phones are recharged using a solar panel or motorcycle battery. Among the above mentioned advantages that are some disadvantages ...

Katharagama - The Religious Place I Visited Katharagama is a well-known pilgrimage town in Sri Lanka, where many people from different religions from both Sri Lanka and South India visit. This place is commonly sacred to Hindus, Buddhists and some indigenous Vedda people residing in Sri Lanka. Hindus from South India visit here in high numbers. Although Kataragama used to be a small village surrounded by jungle during the ancient and medieval period, it slowly developed into a small town after becoming a popular pilgrimage site. This gives you a great feeling to try and visit this town of Sri Lanka which is far away from the limelight.                                                                                                      ...

"Madol Doova" - The Most Beautiful Book I Have Ever Read Madol Doova is a children's novel very popular not only in Sri Lanka but all over the world. It was written by Martin Wickramasinghe and it was published for the first time in 1947. The book was translated to different foreign languages and a film made in 1976 was based on it. The book was translated to English soon after initial publication and then, later on, to Russian, Chinese, Dutch, Romanian, Bulgarian and Japanese. Although some have claimed that maybe the message is not so educational, most critiques have agreed that the book sets a wonderful example of courage and teaches children of the importance of the becoming process. The main character is an adventurous boy, who gets involved in various shady activities but then learns how to be responsible. The book is very well written and most people who start reading it are unable to put the book down until they get to the end. It's been said that the style of...

  Kandy Esala Perahera   The Esala Perahera in Kandy is one of the oldest and grandest of all Buddhist festivals in Sri Lanka, featuring dancers, jugglers, musicians, fire-breathers, and lavishly decorated elephants. This is held in Esala (July or August) which is the month that is believed to commemorate the first teaching given by the Buddha after he attained enlightenment. The Kandy Esala Perahera lasts for ten days while various festivities can be witnessed right throughout. The Sinhalese term ‘Perahera’ means a parade of musicians, dancers, singers, acrobats and various other performers accompanied by a large number of caparisoned Tuskers and Elephants parading the streets in celebration of a religious event. The Esala Perahera in Kandy is celebrated to honour the Sacred Tooth Relic and the four ‘guardian’ Gods Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and Goddess Pattini. The Kandy Maligawa Perahera is followed in order by those of the Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and Pattini ‘Devales...

  The Dinosaurs Dinosaurs were the main animals on Earth for more than 150 million years. They were lizardlike reptiles. Some of them were the largest and scariest creatures that ever walked on land. The word dinosaur comes from Greek words meaning “terrible lizard.” The last dinosaurs became extinct, or died out, about 65.5 million years ago. Fossils of dinosaurs were first discovered in the early 1800s. Fossils are remains or impressions of a plant or animal that have been preserved in rock. By studying these fossils, scientists know that dinosaurs were the ancient cousins of today’s crocodiles, snakes, and lizards. Scientists also believe that today’s birds descended from dinosaurs. Geologists fount out Dinosaurs lived from about 245 to 65.5 million years ago. They were common during the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous geologic time periods. Not all the species, or types, of dinosaur lived at the same time. They also did not all become extinct at the same time. They died out ...

  Sri Padaya ( Adam's Peak ) The climb to Sri Padaya or Adam’s Peak Mountain in Sri Lanka’s hill country is just a magical experience. It’s a magnificent creation of nature that has been respected for centuries. The sunrise here is absolutely spectacular. To witness this breath-taking site, you will have to start the climb at midnight and continue it all night long to be there by dawn. People of all ages in Sri Lanka climb the Adam’s Peak Mountain as a yearly pilgrimage, and they never get enough of this amazing experience. Visitors to Sri Lanka admit that it could be the most amazing sunrise view in all of Sri Lanka, or perhaps even in all of Asia…. The top of the mountain has a huge “footprint”. The Buddhists of Sri Lanka believe that it’s the footprint of Lord Buddha’s left foot. The Hindus claimed that the footprint belonged to Lord Shiva. Its English name – Adam’s Peak – stresses the belief of the Muslims and the Christians that it’s the first place that Adam set foot on Earth...

  Sigiriya - The 8th World Wonder Sigiriya also known as the Lion's Rock is a rock fortress and a palace located in the Matale district of Sri Lanka. This ruin is surrounded by gardens, ponds and other structures. Sigiriya was built by King Kassapa and it is included as a World Heritage site. Sigiriya is the best preserved city centre in Asia.  Earlier is was a rock-shelter mountain monastery which was donated by Buddhist devotees. Later King Kassapa renovated it by building gardens and palace. After his death it was again used as a monastery. The Sigiriya Rock is actually a hardened magma plug from an extinct volcano. The most significant feature of the rock would be the Lion staircase leading to the palace garden. The Lion could be visualized as a huge figure towering against the granite cliff. The opened mouth of the Lion leads to the staircase built of bricks and timber. However the only remains of this majestic structure are the two paws and the masonry walls surrounding...