Today ,14th November is celebrated as the Children’s day in India.
Universally, Children’s Day is celebrated on 20th November, every year. This date was chosen as a day to celebrate childhood.The date 20th November, was chosen as it marks the anniversary of the day in 1959, when the Declaration of the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly adopted. In 1989 the Convention on the Rights of the Child was signed on the same date, which has been sanctioned by 191 states, ever since.
However, while 20th November is universally celebrated as Children’s Day, in India this day has been preponed to 14th November, the date that marks the birth anniversary of independent India’s first Prime Minister – Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
About Jawahar Lal Nehru
On November14, 1889, a son was born to an eminent lawyer, Motilal Nehru and his wife Swaroop Rani at Allahabad. They named him Jawaharlal. He was a brilliant, kindhearted child who was greatly loved by all.
His father wanted to give him the best education and hence sent him to England for his M.A. from Cambridge. The British ruled India at that time. When he returned to India, young Jawaharlal realized that he wanted to help the poor and the downtrodden. He took part in the Freedom Struggle of India and became a follower of Mahatma Gandhi who had just returned from South Africa at that time. When India gained its independence, he became the first Prime Minister of free India.
He was a perfect blend of eastern philosophical values and western scientific thinking and encouraged technological progress. But he was also a man of letters and a great poet and wrote some famous works like, Glimpses of World History and Discovery of India. His letters to his daughter, Indira, were also compiled into a book and reflects his philosophical outlook, his compassion and above all, his tender heart.
The Birth of Chacha Nehru
Chacha Nehru as the children fondly referred to him, was fond of both children and roses. In fact he often compared the two, saying that children were like the buds in a garden. They should be carefully and lovingly nurtured, as they were the future of the nation and the citizens of tomorrow. He felt that children are the real strength of a country and the very foundation of society. He was the beloved of all the children who gave him the endearing name of Chacha Nehru.