Globally, countries celebrate Children’s Day on different days. On 14 December, 1954, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to recommend that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children. It recommended that the Day was to be observed also as a day of activity devoted to promoting the ideals and objectives of the Charter and the welfare of the children of the world. The Assembly suggested to governments that the Day be observed on the date and in the way which each considers appropriate. The UN Universal Children’s Day is celebrated every year on the 20 November. The date 20 November marks the day on which the General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.
Children’s Day in India
India celebrates Children’s Day on November 14 to commemorate the birth anniversary of its first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Most of us have only a superficial understanding of the significance of the day: Nehru loved children and hence this day was chosen to commemorate his love for children ever since his death in 1963. But for chacha Nehru (Uncle Nehru), as he was fondly called by the children, his passion for them and their welfare spanned his entire lifetime. As the first Prime Minister of India, he has done extraordinary things and introduced many successful schemes for the welfare, education and development of children and young people. A peek into his exceptional dedication and love towards children on this day will go a long way in not only appreciating the rationale behind having the children’s day on his birthday, but also inspiring enough to imbibe his dedication to child welfare.
Education and nutrition for all children
An avid advocate of education in India particularly to children and youth, Jawaharlal Nehru firmly believed that India’s future relied entirely on providing basic education to children and higher education for the youth. He set forth on his mission. In his early five year plans, he outlined a commitment to ensure free and compulsory primary education to all children in the country. To achieve this, Nehru visualised mass village enrolment programmes, implemented them and administered the construction of thousands of schools. For the youth, Nehru set up adult education centres, vocational and technical schools, especially in the rural areas to equip them to face the future. And to cater to the demands of quality higher education, Nehru established many institutions of higher learning, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). The Prime Minister also gave equal importance to child nutrition and health and launched many initiatives like providing of free milk and meals to the children in the schools.
Special focus on the girl child
At a time when caste and gender discrimination was rampant and which actually proved to be a hindrance in educating the girl children, Nehru introduced many changes to the existing Hindu Law to criminalise the caste discrimination and give more legal rights and social freedom to the girl child and women. And to provide social equality across the nation, the reservation system for the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes was introduced that opened up reserved seats in government services and educational institutions. In his own government, Nehru gave opportunities to minorities.
How the Day is celebrated?
November 14 is marked with fun and innovative celebrations across all schools and educational institutions in the country. Debates, painting and essay competitions, tours and excursions to places of national interests, cultural shows by children of all ages are conducted in the respective school premises. Many activities that could inculcate the sense of togetherness among children are organised. Mass rallies for and by the children are also arranged. Children hold placards, and messages that highlight the difficulties of the underprivileged children and the urgent need to address child welfare issues that continue to affect them despite laws and restrictions in place.
Apart from big celebrations in schools and among children during the Children’s Day on November 14 every year, the UN Universal Children’s Day on November 20 is also celebrated with equal fervour. On this day, under the auspices of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and UNICEF, all schools in the country conduct informative classes for their children about the UN Convention on Child Rights, and hold debates and essay writing and drawing competitions on the subject.
Uphold the real spirit of Children’s Day
Children’s Day celebration is not only for the children of this country. As a parent, each one of us has a responsibility in shaping the future of our children and other children around us. The key is to make your child understand the importance and significance of the Children’s Day, to encourage them to participate in the celebrations and nurture the concept of love, kindness and sharing.
On Children’s Day, you could take your child to the nearby orphanage or to a nearby slum and if possible sponsor for a child’s education. Donate liberally to the cause of children’s education and nutrition. Take active part in spreading the awareness about child’s rights and their education. You could make your children help the cause of providing nutrition for those deprived children working and living in deplorable conditions. Make your own child understand and appreciate the joy of giving and sharing. By doing this, you will make a little contribution to the dreams of a man whose love for children and their welfare surpassed boundaries and brought joy to millions of children.
Basically, Children’s Day is to celebrate ‘childhood.’ And childhood is not those few years after birth or till one attain adulthood. Childhood is a kind of healthy revelation, a way of life! And it should be kept alive till one’s lifetime. Do not let the ‘child’ in you to die! The spirit of childhood is marked by the zeal to learn, to keep oneself open to new concepts and ideas and more importantly the sense of unconditional and universal love, sans race, colour, gender, societal status, and ego. Let us celebrate Children’s Day to let the future generation have its say. On this day and every day, let us take an oath and work towards keeping alive the dreams and actions of a man, a leader, who did everything during his lifetime to see the children of India healthier, educated and smart enough to lead this country into the future.
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