Children’s Day Essay

Children’s day is celebrated all across the world to honour children who make this world a better place to live in. International Children’s Day was first started in Geneva during the World Conference on Child Welfare in the year 1952. Since then, most countries celebrate it on June 1. The United Nations, however, observes International Children’s Day on November 20. Different countries have different designated days to be celebrated as Children’s Day. In India, Children’s day is observed on the 14th of November every year. 

Chacha Nehru and Children’s Day

Children’s day is celebrated in India to commemorate the birth anniversary of our ex-prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru who was known for his immense love and affection towards children. According to him, children are not only the epitome of innocence and purity but also the future of the nation and the citizens of tomorrow. So, they should be raised with care and a lot of love. It’s them who strengthen the social foundation of the country. 

Therefore, the main purpose behind the Children’s Day celebration is to spread awareness about child care, child rights and child education in the country. 

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime minister of independent India. He was born on the 14th of November 1889. He dedicated his life to secure the future of India as a new nation. He was well known for his principles of peace and prosperity he stuck to all his life. The whole country looked up to him for his political vision and his dedication to the country. One aspect of his personality that people still remember today is the love he had for children. 

Pandit Nehru worked hard to ensure that the youngsters of India had plenty of educational opportunities. For this, he established a number of educational institutes like The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), All India Institute of Medical Services (AIIMS) and Indian Institute of Management (IIM). Apart from these, he also ensured that children could avail free primary education. He took a special interest in the well being and health of children and in order to prevent children from the suffering of malnutrition and hunger he made provisions for schools to provide milk and free meals to children.

History of the Day

It is a little known fact that the first Children’s day in India was celebrated on the 20th of November. This was done following the announcement of the United Nations’  to celebrate Children’s day on the said date. However, after the death of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964, the date for the celebration of Children’s day was shifted to 14th November to honour his love and dedication to children.

In India, children’s day is celebrated through a number of cultural programmes and fun activities organised by schools and NGOs as well as private bodies. Students are often allowed to wear colourful dresses in their institutes and are sometimes, also gifted with sweets and goodies. 

Children’s Day: Why is It Important to Preserve Its True Essence? 

Children’s Day may seem like a day that is meant only for the children to celebrate their childhood but in reality, it is an initiative by everyone participating in the celebration to educate people about the value and worth of children in the society. It is celebrated to inform people about child rights and make sure children get those rights in every sphere of their life. Only then, a nation will be able to grow in a holistic manner.