New Delhi: Children’s Day has been observed every year since 1959 as a homage to India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. It used to be commemorated on November 20th, but it was moved to November 14th, which also happens to be his birthday. Pandit Nehru was known for his fondness for children, whom he affectionately referred to as ‘Chacha Nehru.’ Following the death of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964, the Indian Parliament enacted a resolution designating his birthday as Children’s Day, with the goal of raising awareness of children’s rights, care, and education.
It’s also the anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. Since 1990, World Children’s Day has also commemorated the date on which the United Nations General Assembly adopted both the Declaration and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Keeping the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, we must always keep in mind that children are the most vulnerable. As a result, even though vaccines are taking place around the country, we must be cautious this Children’s Day and consider our children’s well-being when planning festivities and programmes. This is also why, rather than holding real events, most Indian schools have decided to have online celebrations this year.
Nehru was a great supporter of children’s education, believing that if every child and youngster in the country received the proper education, they would be able to help India prosper. He was instrumental in the founding of pioneering institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM), and the National Institutes of Technology (NIT) across the country (NIT). NGOs and government groups across the country run numerous educational and motivating programmes to campaign for children’s rights.