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Vilochana talks about her hobbies

17 Jan 2021

Vilochana talks about her hobbies   By Kusumanjalee Thilakarathna Photos Saman Abesiriwardena  Today on Little Stars’ cover, we have a little 12-year-old farmer who believes that taking care of plants is one of the best hobbies. This little farmer, Vilochana Kawmika Edirisinha, is also a dancer, and has a passion for creative handwork and art.  Vilochana, tell us more about yourself.  My full name is E.A. Vilochana Kawmika Edirisinha. I live in Wellawaya. I’m studying in Grade 8 now, and my school is Malwatta Central College, Wellawaya. I have a younger brother who is 10 years old, and a younger sister who is six years old now. Both of them are going to school now. I like to spend time in my garden when I have free time, and I also like to draw and make little ornaments using pebbles and beads.    Since when do you dance? Since I was very young. But I started learning dancing as a subject two years ago, when I came to the upper school. It is my favourite subject in school too.    Do you have a favourite type of dance? Well, I have to learn a lot more, so I can’t really say what my favourite type is. However, I like Udarata natum – what we call Kandyan dancing. I like it because it is a traditional dancing form which is sometimes also used as a pooja. Did you know that Kandyan dancing had a history of over 300 years?   You also said you like to make crafts. Tell us more about that. Yes. That’s another thing I enjoy doing. I also like to draw and paint too. Using different colours makes me very happy. When making crafts, I mostly work with beads, and I always try to use natural things so that my work will be environmentally friendly.    Since when do you do gardening?  I used to help my mum when I was a little girl. She is the one who took care of the gardening at our place. Looking at what she does and how she is treating her plants, I also grew up to like gardening. When I started doing it myself, I fell in love with it. My mother still helps me grow crops. Working together with her brings me a lot of joy.  My father also helps us sometimes. What I enjoy most is the time of harvest. When you cook freshly harvested vegetables, there is a special aroma and they taste better. We also know that it is safe to eat what we grow because we do not use any harmful pesticides or fertilisers.   Do you have any advice for those who do gardening as a hobby? Well if you are growing vegetables or even flowers, you have to be very attentive to it, especially if you are not using any pesticides. You have to make sure that the plant is getting enough nutrients and that it is also safe from insect attacks. This is not a difficult thing to do. You only have to spend a little time in the garden every day. Make sure that you keep your plants hydrated but this doesn't mean that you over-water them.   What else do you engage in when you are at home?  I also like to read. Reading storybooks and also school textbooks. My favourite type of books to read are Sinhala literature books. I feel very connected to the story when I read. I try to read at least a little every day so that it will help me improve my vocabulary.   What is your future ambition? I would like to become a doctor. I think it is a very good profession, because you get to help a lot of people who are in pain and help them cure their illnesses.


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