Children's Day

Children's Day

The 14th of November each year is celebrated as Children's Day all over India. The birthday of Pandit Jawahar Lai Nehru, the first Prime Minister of free India, falls on that day. It has an importance of its own.

Pandit Nehru had a great love for children. He wanted to be among them, talk to them and play with them the children also loved and respected him and called him "Chacha Nehru".
The day is celebrated by the people of India in a befitting manner. Early in the morning people begin gathering at Shanti Van, where Chacha Nehru was cremated, to pay homage to the great leader. The visitors include the President, the Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers and high officials. Wreaths are placed at the Samadhi, prayers are held and hymns are chanted. Tributes are paid to Pandit Nehru for his sacrifices, achievements in international politics and peace efforts.
School children organise cultural programmes to celebrate the day. They sing national songs and stage short dramas. There are many celebrations, including one at Teen Murti where Nehru lived as Prime Minister and one at Parliament. House Students are exhorted to be patriotic and follow into the footsteps of Pandit Nehru.

It is said that the greatest need of a person in life is the feeling of ‘being wanted’ and ‘being noticed’. The thirst for wontedness is an unquenchable thirst, found in every human being. It is particularly true in the case of children. They long to be wanted, shown affection and appreciated. Children’s Day celebrated all over India on 14th November every year is an attempt in this regard.
14th Nov. is celebrated all over India every year as Children’s Day in loving memory of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of our country. He was a true friend of children. He profoundly loved them and kept them dear to his heart. Therefore children called him ‘Chacha Nehru’.
In the Indian context ‘Chacha’ stands next to one’s father and symbolises traits of affection, love and concern. Despite his hectic life as Prime Minister, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru found time to be with children. It is said that if anything Nehru liked most in his life, it is the time he spent with little children.
Therefore, as a tribute to this lover of children the nation started the custom of celebrating his birth anniversary I as Children’s Day, soon after his death in 1964. The nation could pay no better tribute to our immortal leader for whom children were ‘God incarnate’ and ‘divinity in flesh’.
The celebration of Children’s day teaches us several important values. It is a call to protect our little ones from all harm and to save them from the negative impact of modernisation, urbanisation, industrialisation, commercialisation and gross materialism.
Today children are thrown open to evils of drug, sex, alcohol, hard labour, abuse and violence. Thousands of little children in our country are made to slog for long hours, for little pay. Hundreds are yet to see the light of modern education. Therefore, it is a call to put an end to various forms of child abuse that are taking place in our land. Such a day reminds us of the inestimable worth of those little angels.
They are the valuable asset of our nation, the future of our land, and the hope of tomorrow. The day also invites us to acquire the fine qualities that characterise children such as, simplicity, purity of heart and mind, innocence a sense of affection and attachment, etc.
Children constitute the greatest asset of a nation. A nation prospers or progresses to the extent it is able to develop the hidden potential lying untapped in her children. In a country like India, where children constitute a good percentage of the population, we need to give much more attention to their all-round development. A day like Children’s Day is a right step in this direction. The day invites all of us to give children their due-love, affection and opportunities for development.

Children's Day is celebrated by doing, learning and teaching a lot of activities to them. Schools organize and carry out various events and activities that their students thoroughly enjoy and at the same time are also able to learn from those events. These activities are carried out in a dramatic way so that it can be adopted by the children easily. Basically it should have a clear message.

Here are the various ways in which Children's Day can be celebrated. This celebration should have a motive of encouraging learning and at the same time entertaining them.
Educational Trips

Children's Day can be an exciting day to take children on educational trips. These educational trips can be conducted to the places like Nehru Planetarium or Nehru Science Center, etc. At the end of the trip, some gifts, toys and sweets may be distributed amongst children to make them feel happy.


Other Activities

Children should also be encouraged to take part in elocution competition, dance competition, solo acting competition, drawing competition etc. Such competitions will help to enhance children's skills and talent. Unlike the normal competitions, all children should be eligible to receive prizes who take part in competition during Children's Day.

This can be the way Children's Day can be celebrated. However there are many other activities which can be carried out. This is also a way to make the Children's Day special and memorable. All such activities will help you to bring smiles on the faces of little wonders, which will make you smile too.