What does Children's Day Mean to the Children of the Young Readers' Club
For most of them, it means chocolates, sweets, a day of school without any classes and games. A handful complained that they did not get any time off studies the whole day. One child shared with a feeling of sadness that only one teacher, her class teacher, remembered to wish them a Happy Children's Day, while the other teachers came as always, taught their bit and left.
Is Children's Day only about chocolates, sweets and a day in school without classes or books? Why do we celebrate Jawahar Lal Nehru's birth anniversary as Children's Day?
The answer that we have grown up with is that Nehru loved children and hence we celebrate Children's Day on his birth anniversary. But is it really just that?
While it is true that he loved children, what is not emphasized enough is what he believed children meant for the future of India.
That statement holds a lot. It means that every child in India must be supported to achieve their true potential. One of the components in that support is offering quality education. Children's Day therefore is more than chocolates, sweets and school with no classes conducted. It is a day for adults to make children feel important, a day for adults to realize that children matter in every possible way, a day for children to get inspired and motivated to use their strengths to the maximum because every one of them will be building the future of this country.
Reactions from the young readers upon hearing this on Children's Day
When we began our meeting with wishes, followed by the question, "Why do we celebrate children's day every year on the birth anniversary of Jawahar Lal Nehru?" bored expressions appeared at first. The usual response that they have been taught to know, was reeled out somewhat mindlessly, "That's because he loved kids."
The revelation that this day could be far more significant than they imagined, left them thoughtful and silence followed for a few minutes. Silence is unusual at the club. There is always someone wanting to say something right away. Waiting to listen to another reader who is talking, is a skill that we are learning slowly.
The silence found a way to end when a reader said,
"If he knows our woes about school today, he might say, let's close schools."
A few readers chimed in, in agreement.
"On the other hand, he would have asked you, 'What about school, don't you like?' and then he would have gone on to bring about change to make sure that you are happy going to school," was how I as a facilitator, responded.
On a side note, that was a thought provoking moment. If education is an important component in the way we bring up children as a society, what can we do to make it more meaningful and inspiring for them?
Speaking about Jawahar Lal Nehru on his 135th birth anniversary, we remembered all that we know about the freedom struggle.
How did India get colonized? What led to the British eventually taking us over?
"The princely states entered into a treaty that pretty much turned out to be disastrous," stated one of the readers.
Raising questions about what people chose to do back then- Could history have changed if they had more information at their disposal?
Had they known what would happen eventually, would they have signed that treaty? Would history have been changed? Had they known more about the intentions behind colonisation, could they have been different? We are speaking about the 1800s when there was no internet, no easy access to news instantly.
These are hard questions to answer but made us curious and at the same time grateful for what we have today.
As we moved on through the freedom struggle until the point India became independent, we recognized the contributions of many freedom fighters, well known as well as ordinary people who played a small role in whatever way they could.
Children shared small anecdotes that they have heard from their own families which made the occasion even more special.
"My grandfather was born on August 15th, 1947. So, it is easy for me to remember how many years since India got independence."
"Must have been such a happy moment in your family. The country became independent and the family was blessed with a child!"
"My grandmother was born in the year 1936. She would have been 11 or 12 when India became independent. I wonder how she felt and what she must have understood then."
"My great grandfather was born in 1917. He even took part in the freedom struggle!"
This seemed like the perfect moment to introduce an excerpt from the collection of letters from Jawahar Lal Nehru to his daughter, Indira Gandhi.
"You know that we do not buy or wear foreign cloth. We wear khaddar because it is more sensible to buy things, as far as we can, made in our own country. We also buy and wear khaddar because in this way we help the poor who spin and weave."
- An excerpt from the book, Letters from a Father to His Daughter.
It is said that Nehru was in Allahabad at the time for the freedom movement and Indira Gandhi was in Mussoorie. Various sources different on how old Indira Gandhi was at the time. Safe to assume she was between 10 and 12.
We read this excerpt together to decipher what was happening in the country at the time. The readers were introduced to references made about the Swadeshi movement from children's books such as Ahimsa by Supriya Kelkar and Swami and Friends by R.K Narayanan. All the readers were familiar with Khaddar/Kadhi and absorbed the significance of the cloth being promoted at the time. Something about the way Nehru had explained its impact on the poor had a deep impact on the readers.
Jawahar Lal Nehru became the first Prime Minister of independent India- the beginning of a great nation and 77 years later, here we are, better than where we began.
As we talked about one of the momentous events in India history, curious readers questioned the choice of Nehru as the Prime Minister. There were so many others who could have been given the position. "He was not all good," said one of the readers. Another chimed in why not Subhash Chandra Bose. We were talking about yet another time in history as always ridden with complexity and multiple perspectives. Finding a 360 degree angle of the situation back then, would need tremendous amount of research and understanding. Time is always a constraint when we meet at the club especially on occasions such as this one in which we have so many questions.
Compare & Contrast- What would it be like if we still lived under the British rule today?
"No way!" was the general consensus.
"We will continue to fight!"
"We will make clones of Bhagat Singh!"
"No, Gandhij will not approve! He would like us to fight but not with violence! Non violence is the way to go. We will win. Take Nelson Mandela. He fought non-violently even while in prison and in the end managed to get rid of racial discrimination!"
Are we better off today, living in Independent India?
"India has been through so much in the pre independence period as well as soon after. We have been ridden with famines and wars. But we have progressed considerably!"
"While we have made tremendous progress in many aspects, one important aspect deserves more attention and positive change. Women do not feel safe when they are outside. They cannot freely go out at any time and feel safe. We still have work to do!"
The session ended on that thought provoking statement from a young reader who just turned thirteen.
Experiencing history from what it could have been like to be a child living through the freedom movement gives a somewhat more impactful perspective than history lessons in textbooks. The Songs of Freedom Series by various authors is a delightful read that enables children and adults gain a more impactful understanding of what it was like to live under the British rule and fight for independence. It definitely helps in valuing what we have today!
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