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Taniya Nethmi’s dreams to help the ill 

06 Jun 2021

By Kusumanjalee Thilakarathna  Taniya Nethmi Fernando is an 11-year-old girl from Nittambuwa. She currently studies at British Way International School and is in Grade 7. Nethmi says she is dreaming of becoming a doctor, as she admires their fearless work. She is especially astonished by the duties doctors perform treating patients infected with Covid-19.  Nethmi, tell us more about yourself.  My first school was Negombo South International School and I joined British Way International School only last year. In my previous school, I took part in many extracurricular activities like singing, dancing and acting and various competitions. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, I was unable to participate in any extracurricular activities yet.  My favourite sports are cricket and badminton and I can speak three languages – Sinhala, Tamil and English. I just started learning French and Japanese. So it will take some time for me to be fluent enough to communicate in those languages. My favourite colour is red.  My father’s name is Ajith Pushpakumara Fernando and my mother is Devika Fernando. My parents always support me in everything that I do. I am an only child.  You said one of your hobbies is reading books. What’s the last book you read?  I am currently reading Amba Yaluwo by T.B. Ilangaratne. Just before that, I read a collection of stories by Roald Dahl. I read both Sinhala and English books and my favourite are stories based on history.  Who joins you to play cricket?  When we used to go to school I played cricket with my school friends. Sometimes friends in our neighbourhood get together and play cricket. I like to bat and ball. But if you ask me which my favourite is, I would say it’s bowling. I also enjoy watching cricket matches on TV.  Who is your favourite cricket player?  My favourite player is Muttiah Muralitharan. I know he doesn’t play now. But he is the greatest bowler we ever had.  You were also a member of your old school’s western band. Which instrument did you play?  I used to play the melodica. I miss being a part of the school band.  What is your ambition?  I want to become a doctor when I grow up. I am amazed at how committed doctors are to treating helpless patients. It’s a great service that they do. I would like to be able to treat patients and make them healthy again.  Look at how fearless the doctors are in treating patients with coronavirus. We are not even going outside as we are scared of contracting the virus. But they directly deal with those who are sick and help them get better. They are heroes to me.


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