UPAGUPTA

        UPAGUPTA

       UPAGUPTA, the disciple of Buddha lay asleep on the dust by the city wall of Mathura.

Lamps were all out, doors were all shut, and stars were all hidden by the murky sky of August.

       Whose feetwere those tinking with anklets,touching his breast of a sudden? He woke up startled, and a light from a woman’s lamp struck his forgiving eyes. It was the dancing-girl, starred with jewels, clouded with a pale-blue mantle, drunk with the wine of her youth. She lowered her lamp and saw the young face, austerely beautiful.

‘Forgive me, young ascetic,’ said the woman; ‘graciously come to my house. The dusty earth is not a fit bed for you.’ The ascetic answered, ‘Woman, go on yourway; when the time is ripe I will come to you.’ Suddenly the black night showed its teeth in a flash of lightning.

The branches of the wayside trees were aching with blossom. Gay notes of the flute came floating in the warm spring air from afar. The citizens had gone to the woods, to the festival of flowers. From the mid-sky gazed the full moon on the shadows of the slient town. The young ascetic was walking in the lonely street, while overheard the love-sick koils urged from the mango branches their sleepless plaint. Upagupta passed through the city gates, and stood at the base of the rampart. What woman lay in the shadow of the wall at his feet, stuck with the black pestilence, her body spotted with sores, hurriedly driven away from the town? The ascetic sat by her side, taking her head on his knees, and moistened her lips with water and smeared her body with balm. ‘Who are you, merciful one?’ asked the woman. ‘The time, at last, has come to visit you, and I am here,’ replied the oung ascetic.

RABINDRANATH  TAGORE

The Rotary Club

The Rotary Club

-         a voluntary organization.

-          Offers humanitarian services, encourages high ethical standards. Helps to build good will and peace in the world.

-         1.2 million Rotarians.

-         32,000 clubs in about 200 countries.

           Benefits offered

-        develops the community.

-        develops leadership skills.

-        not a profit making organization.

-        supported by contributions.

-        created by Arch.C.Clumph.

-        fund to improve quality of life-provides health care, clean water, food, education and other essential needs.

-        funds 1200 students to study abroad annually.

-        grants awards to University teachers for research and other activities.

Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Scine and technology has helped people to gain control over nature. The first people had little control over nature. They had to depend on nature for their living. They had only simple tools. They did not know how to raise animals or plants. They had no permanent homes. Animal skins were their only protection against the cold. The sun was their only source of ligt. With the passage of time, people discovered how to make fire and learnt to raise animal and crops. With the development of farming, they began to build settlements. Then they discovered new methods to make their work easier, and to increase their comforts. Through the ages technology has helped people to build a more comfortable way of life

      Industrial technology began with the invention of the steam engine. The work in factories became faster. The production increased. The working hours were reduced. The radio and the television changed their entertainment habits.

     Technology helps people to live in greater comfort and security than in the past. Agriculture, medicine and transport technologies have brought many benefits to man.

      Today machines do most of the work. Powered machines have increased production and given people more leisure. The needs of the people began to increase. The result is the creation of a world of modern science and technology.

Sources of knowledge is on historical ruins

Sources of knowledge is on historical ruins

     Hisstorical ruins provide a lot of knowledge about the country. Sometimes these historical ruins are not properly understood, or interpreted. There are some ruins about which there are no records.

   Stone Henge of Wales is one such ruin. Still people do not know what it could have been. Some people think it may have been associated with the worship of the sun.

   Stone Henge is a popular decoration! Many computer users have the Stone Henge as a wall paper.

   There is also the massive stone pillar on the banks of the river Themes. This is known as Cleopatra’s needle!

   The totem poles of the aborigines of Africa can be seen in the British Museum. For a long time the Sinhala crown and throne were kept in Britain. They were returned when we got independence.

   We can get an idea of the arts and crafts of the time from these ruins. We can learn about a country too from these ruins. They are an interesting source of knowledge.

SINHARAJA RAINFOREST

The Sinharaja forest is the only undisturbed rainforest left in Sri Lanka. It is about 900 hectares in extent. Many of the plants are very rate. Over 60% of the tree species are found only in the lowland wet zone of Sri Lanka. If these species of trees were allowed to get destroyed, the world would lose them altogether. So it is important that much effort is made to conserve this rich, valuble and fragile habitat.

The Sinharaja rainforest is thelargest rainforest reserve in Sri Lanka. In 1840 Sinharaja became a crown property. In 1988 the Sinharaja was made a National Wilderness area. In 1989 UNESCO included the Sinharaja Forest in the World Heritage list, as the first National Hertage os Sri Lanka.

The Sinharaja forest is home to many rare animals, birds, butterflies, insects, reptiles and trees. Ferns and mosses grow well as the climate is humid because of heavy rainfall.

The vegetation

Vegetation means trees, shrubs, herbs and woody climbers. The average height of trees in the Sinharaja varies between 35 to 40 metres. Some trees are above 50 metres.

The animals and the birds

Sinharaja provides a habitat for animals. The plants provide them with food. There are large mammals as well as small ones living there. The purple faced monkeys can be observed easily. They move about in groups. There are herbivores, carnivores as well as mixed feeders. The wild pig, the sambur, the mouse-deer and the barking-deer are some that you find in the Sinharaja. There is also evidence of the presence of the leopard. Among others are the rusty spotted cat and the fishing cat. There are many other varieties of small mammals.

     Studies have recorded 147 species of birds. Some threatened species of birds are found in the Sinharaja. Among them are the blue magpie, the white-headed starling and the ash-headed babbler.

Reptiles

Studies have recorded 45 varieties of reptiles. These include snakes, lizards and tortoises. The viper and the cobra are among the venomous species. Conservation of Sinharaja is of vital necessity. It ensures the maintenance of water resources. It also controls floods, which is a constant threat due to heavy rainfall in the area.

The Textile Industry

The Textile Industry

The development of the spinning machine

The Textile industry

Spinning was a cottage industry in many lands. Kuveni was spinning when Prince Wijaya landed in Sri Lanka. Weaving was a domestic industry in England too, till the invention of the flying shuttle and the spinning jenny. These inventions simplified the use of the machine. It could now be worked by power. It brought a tremendous change on human life, in terms of speed and volume.

The modern textile technology has influenced the ready-made garment industry is Sri Lanka. Factories have been set up in cities and rural areas, providing employment for both men and women. Mostly young rural women have taken up employment in these factories. Ready-made garments are exported to America, United Kingdom, France and other European countries. Fashion shows in modern trends are held in leading cities all over the world to promote the garments produced in Sri Lanka. The industry has become a leading foreign exchange earner for Sri Lanka.

Medicine

    Medicine

    The practice of medicine is based on diagnosis and treatment. A hundred years ago, the physician felt the pulse and came to various conclusions about illnesses.

     He had only a few instruments to diagnose a disease. Within the last hundred years, medical technology developed. Now the physician has sophisticated medical instruments to diagnose diseases.

     X – ray machine that was invented in 1895, came into regular use. It was invented by Wilhelm Rontgen. With the help of this machine the doctors were able to see the inside of the body and diagnose diseases. In 1973 the CAT scan machine was invented. With this invention medical science was revolutionized. The patient is kept inside the machine and the body is scanned by X – rays.

    Medical technology continues to develop very rapidly. Today the changes of the body can be observed and measured. These findings are the key to diagnosing diseases and deciding treatment.     

The E.C.G machine was invented during the last century. It is used to find out how the heart works. The damage caused by a heart attack can be measured on this machine.

    Modern technology is able to support failing organs. Ventilators are used to maintain oxygen levels to assist breathing.

    Sir Alexander Fleming, whose discovery of Penicillin led to the discovery of many other antibiotics. The antibiotics help in treating a large range of bacterial infections.

     Modern technology hs helped immensely to develop surgery. Now lasers are used in surgery. Kidney stones and gall bladder stones are removed through laser surgery. Laser treatments are used for treating eye diseases too.

    Medical science and technology has developed so much that surgeons transplant organs from one body to another. Kidney transplantation was first attempted in 1902. Today it is a well established operation. Heart transplantation was first performed in South Africa, in 1967. It was done by the surgeon, Christian Barnard.

      Immunization programmes are carried out to give protection to children. This has greatly decreased previously common diseases.