Children's Day feelings

Dr Karuna Hazarika

(The writer is Principal, Tezpur Medical College, Tezpur)

From the days of our school, we have been observing the 14th November every year as Children's Day. This is also the birthday of independent India's 1st Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru. It is known to all how Panditji showed his fondness and affection towards the children in his lifetime, So, the children use to call him 'Chacha Nehru'. Nehru advocated the child's education and considered as the real strength of a nation and foundation of society, as well. Children Day is celebrated across India to show the awareness of the rights of children, care, and education etc. A resolution was passed in the parliament to celebrate the birth anniversary of Pandit Nehru following the death in 1964 as the official date for Children's Day. Earlier, India was celebrating Children's Day on November 20 every year before 1956 as the United Nations declared November 20 as the day as Universal Children's Day. All the UN member countries celebrate Children's Day at their convenient dates and dedicate the day for the children and offer us an opportunity to dedicate our works towards improving children's welfare. This celebration not only brings the children closer but also helps to bring awareness to all of us to show our care and involvement. International Children's Day allows all citizens to promote and celebrate children's rights and will help in building a better world for the children.

Every year United Nations provides a special theme for the Children Day celebration. This year theme is "Investing in our future means investing in our children". The Colour of children's rights on Children's Day is blue and one can show solidarity by turning or wearing blue colour on 20th November. It was Dr Charles Leonard of the United Kingdom who started the day as Rose Day to celebrate Children Day in the year 1857. In 1920, the Republic of Turkey officially declared Children's Day as a national holiday.

There is a great role of every person, schools and other institution, print media, electronic media and even social platform to offer on children's day. There is the opportunity to educate children, students, parents and even society for the right of children for education, right of health, right of enjoyment and right of family life as well.

No doubt it is an occasion for celebration, especially for children and is marked organizing in the different ways in school, playgrounds, community halls and children take part in various creative activities starting from small lectures, art competition literarily works, games and whatnot with colourful dresses, party wears skipping the regular uniform and express their feeling of rights in another form. It is a celebration day for children and everyone including parents and teachers. But if we look back, there comes the question of whether are we giving the children the real opportunity to develop or putting them in the harsh competition of today's world by our different activities as parents towards children? It is high time we rethought for the betterment of our new generation because they are the future citizen and future of our nation. We are not looking into the facts about the right of children but allow them to move according to our choice that too with a hidden agenda that ruins the liberty of children to excel in their way. We restrict their playtime and allow them to be busy in the room activity and that sometimes results in behavioural changes of the children. This close door activity, as they are deprived of playing with children of the same age group results in improper social development and extreme cases may invite the child, to develop psychological issues and that may be a very serious problem afterwards.

"Every time a child is saved from the dark side of life, every time one of us makes the effort to make a difference in a child's life, we add light and healing to our own lives. – Oprah Winfrey

Yes, today children are prone to various threats starting with child abuse, child labour, child prostitution, child pornography and whatnot. We have to keep a vigil on these issues and have to find a solution for them. United Nations have taken various steps in controlling the various serious issues in their convention and are taken seriously by the participating nation towards the right of the children and thereby protecting them from venerable situations. Countries worldwide have taken their legislation to protect the right of children. The UN Convention on the Right of the Child (CRC or UNCRC) is developed as the human rights treaty that is set for the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children. Different nations have ratified the convention and are bound by international law. The UN General Assembly adopted the convention and came to force on 2nd September 1990 after ratified by the required number of the nation. 196 countries are adapting to it, except the United States till 8th November 2021. This convention looks for child-specific needs and rights. This also helps to create separate legal representation for a child in any judicial dispute that may concern for the care of the child to take their viewpoint as well, by the signatory nations.

"Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future. Those who abuse them tear at the fabric of our society and weaken our nation." – Nelson Mandela.

These are the great words towards the sufferings of the children. Children are the future. So we have to nourish them in the proper way to grow them up in future to lead the nation, the world as it is not only our role to develop them as a tough one to face the present tough and competitive world. Let us take the steps to develop a better nation in future by rearing our children to develop a good, responsible and dedicated citizen, so we can say delightedly, meaningful and in a big way 'Happy Children's Day.