There is no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.
Children are God’s gift to every parent. They make life more beautiful, bringing a smile to every person’s face. They are innocent and fragile, which is why they are celebrated on Children’s Day. This day symbolises the way childhood should be experienced — with toys, magical storybooks, school, and friends. On this day we celebrate the rights of every child and the importance of giving each one a happy childhood. The principles and disciplines learned as a child are responsible for what he or she becomes in the future. Thus childhood should be celebrated. This day is a reminder to all the adults about children’s right to enjoy their childhood without any boundaries and to be given basic education for a better life. A happy childhood nurtures confidence, talent and creativity, helping children excel in their adult life.
Early experiences in a child’s life play a vital role in chiselling his or her personality. Their talent should be nurtured, good habits should be cultivated and fears should be allayed by proper guidance and care so that they can be ready for the future. We all agree that children are the future and only they can shape the world of tomorrow.
As a society it is our moral duty and obligation to ensure that each child gets an ideal living environment. Children want to be heard, understood, loved and educated. Communicating with them can help them overcome their fears and differentiate between right and wrong.
All they need is a sense of security, love and encouragement. If guided, they will choose a path in life that can make this country great like Jawaharlal Nehru or Mahatma Gandhi. After all, “the children of today will make the India of tomorrow”.
~ Devraj Mohapatra
Learn to live like a child
By Sanskriti Singh
It was a week back on Monday. My friend and I had just returned from our practice session in school. As we reached our classroom, a few girls called out, “Minder, can you please help us untie our laces?”
The first thing that you would think of would be ‘how difficult is untying shoelaces?’. But what you do not know is that the two girls had tied each other’s laces for the three-leg race. One of the partners ties her left leg with the second one’s right leg and they both run.
Though the knots were difficult to open and we could not help, a sentence my friend spoke struck me. She said, “Dude, do you realise this is the biggest problem of this life? Unlike us!”
We laughed but while recollecting the words, I found a deeper meaning in her joke.
Children’s Day for many has a simple meaning — it is the birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru. But it has another meaning too. Before elaborating that, let us first see what comes to our mind when we talk about Children’s Day. It is sweets, celebrations for little children, going to school in coloured dresses and a day of freedom.
As we grow up, the day turns nostalgic. We remember those moments in school when life was simpler and days were merrier; those moments of happiness when we saw our teachers perform for us; those days when our biggest fear was being yelled at by our teachers and parents and our happiness was in getting a piece of candy; when a stern look would make tears roll down the cheeks and a word of affection would brighten our days. “Someone took away my chocolate,” was a serious issue to resolve.
Today, those trifles seem foolish but the most beautiful side of it was innocence. It is surprising how we lose innocence over time. A child’s innocent smile vanishes as she or he grows up. Every small event builds up stress and the fear of losing makes us blind and disabled.
Now, even as a child’s biggest problem is untying the laces, she will smile through it. As we grow we forget that a smile can make life easier.
Being a teenager, my struggle may revolve around career, performance, admissions. But if we stop living, life becomes a struggle. Living does not only mean to breathe but also to be happy with what we have and what we are.
It is necessary to be happy with what we have. It’s fine if we make a fool of ourselves once. We have to learn to laugh at ourselves and our mistakes. The most important thing is to satisfy our need and end the need for more. We should stop complaining about everything and defeat our dragon-sized ego. Remember, the bigger the dragon, the more destructive it is.
So Children’s Day is also about awakening the child within that is nearly dead. That child is innocent and can help us live happily and in peace. It is a day we should all celebrate.
Coming out of a self-created shell of unhappiness, discontent and ignorance is important as nothing can come to us if we live in the dark. Let light find us. This light is of satisfaction, love and life.
Children’s Day is the day when we celebrate a new life, the future. It is a celebration of embracing the possibilities we offer to the world. It is about celebrating every human being of all age groups and from all walks of life.
Rishi Jamadagini attained knowledge even from an ant and a cow. Why can we not learn from a child?
Always remember the “doha” that Rahim wrote — Rahiman dekhi baaden ko/laghu na dijiye daari./Jahaan kaam aawe suyi, kaha kare tarbari. It means when a sword cannot help it is the needle that does. Hence learn from a child, how to live. Learn to live like a child.
(The author is a student of Class XII-Humanities, Loreto Convent)
Why celebrate?
By Tanish
I was walking through GS Road one day when I noticed that four or five children, one a toddler, were playing with a thermocol box, probably discarded by one of the shops. It was a simple game. The children were taking turns to hop into the box, easily managing to squeeze in their malnourished bodies into it, and the others were pushing the box down the sloping footpath. Since my mother was busy inside a shop, I got some time to observe the children. The toddler was lucky. He had more numbers of free rides.
Then I saw a man coming from the other direction. He was eating something from a paper wrapper. When he came near the children, he asked them whether they would take the remaining food and they happily accepted it, without even thinking that it was half-eaten by a stranger. I would have never done that.
Later, when my mother came out of the shop, I told her about the incident and expressed my displeasure about the fact that those children’s parents do not take care of them. “Fine, they are poor but should not their parents be more careful,” I said.
My mother did not say much. She only nodded in agreement, “True.”
A few days later, I watched a news being flashed on one of the national channels. It said something about a school serving chapatti and salt to students when they were entitled to nutritious food provided by the government. And the children accepted it? “They were hungry,” said my father.
These two incidents, or rather experiences, made me think why these children have to face such difficulties. I agree there is class difference in our society but why shouldn’t the society take responsibility of its children? Why one has to live through such nightmarish childhood? I wanted answers but none of the adults could explain these to me. “This is life, full of conflicts,” said one. But life is supposed to be beautiful. So why have we accepted such injustice and lie?
In a few days, we will celebrate Children’s Day. We will get gifts in school, our teachers will treat us with cakes and other snacks and we will be wearing our best dresses to school. There will be no strict rules for a day. It will be a different day for us. But what about those children? Will they get half-eaten food or roti and salt on the day? Will their hunger continue? Is there any meaning of celebrating the day when we cannot include these children?
I think we, the students and our schools, should invite at least some children from poor families on the day and include them in the celebrations. This will make them happy for a day. I think the adults should encourage every privileged child to help poor children. I am sure this will make some difference. I am also sure that one day I will get answers to all my questions.
(The author is a student of Class IX)