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Jehan Abeyratne: An inspiring young teacher 

04 Jul 2021

By Kusumanjalee Thilakarathna Today on Little Stars’ cover is one of the youngest teachers in Sri Lanka who believes that teaching is a satisfying job and a way to make people happy. Jehan Abeyratne, aged 11, is a self-taught musician specialising in guitar, a songwriter and also a published author. He published his first book The Secrets of the Jungle when he was in Grade One and used what he earned selling that book for charity. Apart from teaching music online, he formed his own band Dawn Breakers with a few of his friends. He has also taken responsibility as a junior prefect at the school he attends.  Hello Jehan, can you introduce yourself to those who read Little Stars?  My name is Jehan Abeyratne. I am 11 years old. I go to All Nations International School and I live in Ja-Ela. I love reading books, playing guitar and music. And also teaching children to play the guitar.  I lived in Dubai for seven years and I went to school in Dubai until the fourth grade. I participated in the spelling bee competition back in Dubai. At All Nations, I am a leader in the school science club and a member of the newspaper club. I have my own band and I am a member of the school band too.  First, tell us about the book you wrote when you were in Grade One. Who inspired you to write it?  Its name was the Secrets in the Jungle. It is based on a jungle and the animals live in it. My mother encouraged me to write it. She always tells me that I have a gift of English and storytelling. I have only one printed book yet. My father was the one who selected the pictures and printed the book. I was back in Dubai then, and I went to Oxford International College. Everyone in the school bought it.  You used the money you received from your book to help kids who are in need. Why did you think of doing that?  We took all the money we earned from selling the book to children who lost their parents in the tsunami. We bought things they needed with that money. I thought of doing this because I am Sri Lankan and my culture is also Sri Lankan and I thought that it is my responsibility to help the Sri Lankan children as much as I can.  What are your favourite books to read?  I love Harry Potter. The Harry Potter series are my favourite books ever. I also read The Hardy Boys and Famous Five. I also like to read comic books and graphic novels like Asterix Are you planning to publish another book? I am writing another book. I am trying it on my mother’s computer. It is a comic book with a superhero theme. It is about a boy who has superhero abilities. I will not publish this book just yet. I think it’s better to wait until this pandemic settles.  Where do you get the idea to write the songs from? Do you like to sing the songs you write?  Well, I just think of a set of chords and play them. When I keep thinking and playing about that, words automatically come to my mind. Then I sing it. If I think those words are good, I usually write them down. I sing the songs I write as well as other songs.  How did you learn to play the guitar?  I learnt it myself actually. Firstly my father helped me learn one chord and he let me play it until I could play it properly. My father was in Dubai so I had to talk to him through Zoom to learn from him, but it’s very difficult to learn music through Zoom.  Then I started learning from a book. After some time the book wasn’t enough so I started checking the internet for tutorials. I started playing chords first and I mastered G, E minus, C and D. Then only I started playing songs and YouTube tutorials on those songs helped me to learn to play the songs. It took about six or seven months to master the instrument.  What is your favourite genre?  My favourite genre is hip-hop. I also like jazz.  We got to know that you train kids with guitar lessons online?  Firstly, I taught them in school when the school was open. Some kids brought their guitars and I helped them to play chords until they got it right. And when the schools closed due to the pandemic, we had to shift our lessons to Zoom, which was hard and if they wanted to learn they had to put a lot of effort in. But some kids are willing to do that.  I also formed my own band. So I had to work with them too. I have one who plays the guitar, another who plays the piano and one other who plays the drum. So I had to teach them online how to sing and vocalise, and sometimes even play the instrument. We have to do it online as there is no way we can meet physically.  How is the feedback you received from them?  They were happy as some of them were really able to master it and were even able to play songs. I saw a lot of improvement. This is a very satisfying experience.  What is your ambition?  I have two ambitions. Firstly become a musician; a worldwide known artiste. And also to become someone who can make games. I have a very interesting idea for it. I am planning to do it with my friend and we are learning how to do it. The first step is learning the programming languages that are required to develop games.  I am not so good at art. But my friend is good at it. So I will have to rely on my friend for that part. I usually learn the coding part myself and teach him what I learnt through Zoom. My computer is not powerful enough to create a full game yet. But we do try out simple programming.  So, do you also play games?  No, not really. I sometimes play games using my mother’s phone. But that is not a full-time hobby. I don’t really have time for it, with all the other things that I do.  Why do you take the trouble to teach other kids what you learn?  I think it makes them happy when they learn something new. And also I’m sure it makes their families happy too. And it is a really nice experience for me too.  Who are your supporters?  Mainly my parents and my uncle. My grandparents. My friend. My teachers in school, especially, Ms. Delicia Harding and my principal Mr. David Ribakov.  Any message for those who read this interview?  All of you have dreams. If you want to do something, do something that no one has done before and make it a reality. Also, if you are interested in learning to play the guitar you can contact me on 0771148038 and I can help you with that.

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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!


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