Children’s Day is celebrated every year across India on November 14 to mark the birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister who was known to have been fond of children. Children’s Day is also celebrated to raise awareness of children’s rights, care, and education. Universal Children’s Day was initially observed on November 20 as stated by the United Nations, but in 1964 Jawahar Lal Nehru passed away and the Indian parliament issued a resolution designating the date of the first prime minister’s birth as Children’s Day. The day is also known as Bal Diwas in India.
Children’s day brings about fond memories of one’s own childhood – sharing books, candies and toys with friends or receiving that unexpected surprise gift from a teacher or a parent, or maybe playing a game or two with friends in the evening on the street and returning to complete homework and studies to keep up with the syllabus in school. But now, a lot of these things have changed drastically. There is a packed schedule for children ranging from school, tuitions, extra classes and the mobile in hand which is completely stealing away their childhood innocence. They are deprived of the simpler things in life, and the opportunity of making childhood memories.
By law, people under the age of 18 are regarded as children. Most of the parents of such children today were themselves growing up as children during the 1970s and ‘80s. Yes, we lacked all the modern amenities back then but we can argue that we had the best childhood. Life was more carefree and technology was yet to get its stranglehold on us. The outdoors was our playroom. Indeed, a lot has changed in just one generation. Today, we are raising a bubble-wrap generation. When they grow up, what kind of a childhood memory will they have? Of mobile phones, video games and walled spaces? Parents of today’s children have a lot of issues to attend to no doubt, but that should never be the excuse to deprive the children of their childhood. Children should not be treated as robots. Many parents are raising their children without giving them the childhood they deserve.
Parents and adults should be encouraged to take the children out of the house and let them explore their creative side. Maybe every once in a while, we need to ask ourselves if it is time to break the shell of isolation and help our children build a social bond with other children. Giving them the opportunity to make childhood memories, to let them live their childhood as children, is every parent’s responsibility. Then, maybe when they grow up, they will proudly claim that their childhood was best.