John Kennedy, the 35th US president said, "Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future."
These are not mere words but something that all of us must remember.
Turkey was the first country to celebrate Children's Day in 1920, and in 1925, it was followed by Switzerland.
UNO celebrates Universal Children's Day on November 20th. In 1954, UN General Assembly decided to celebrate Children's Day after a suggestion by Mr. V.K. Krishna Menon, and before 1959, Universal Children's Day was celebrated in October. In India, this date is preponed to November 14th, the birthday of the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. This day was first celebrated in India on 14th November, 1964.
Jawaharlal Nehru had a great love towards children and this is the reason why his birthday was chosen as Children's Day. Nehru is affectionately called 'Chacha' (Uncle) by children. Nehru worked hard for the welfare, development and education of children all over India. As Prime Minister, he ensured that all Indian children would get compulsory free primary education and he built more than thousand schools throughout the Indian villages. He also distributed free meals to school children to prevent malnutrition. In India, Children's Day is celebrated in honour of Nehru's passion to children as well as a tribute to childhood.
Childhood proclaims innocence and purity and children are the key to success for the world. The childhood memories of a person are one of the most cherished ones in life. Childhood paves the way for adulthood and what you get in your childhood is retained in adulthood.
Children's Day is all about reminding everybody that that it is an unspoken right of children to be able to celebrate their childhood without any harsh restrictions and to raise awareness about the poor conditions of many children in India.
"Bal Diwas" is another name for Children's Day, and it comes from Hindi.
On 14th November, many schools and private bodies conduct several competitions, events and cultural programs for children. Special television programs are broadcasted. The State Government and the Central Government make sure that films for children are showcased as a part of Film Festivals organized all over India.
Even today, there are children without education, subjected to child labour and without the privileges we enjoy. On this Children's Day, let's reach out to them and help them in our own way.
Kofi Annan, the former Secretary General of the United Nations said, “There is no trust more sacred than the one the world holds with children. There is no duty more important than ensuring that their safety and rights are respected, that their welfare is respected, that their lives are free from fear and that they grow in peace.”
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