The International Children’s Day is observed on November 20 in 191 countries. It is interesting to note that Late V K Krishna Menon, India’s ambassador to UNO proposed such a day to be celebrated internationally in 1954. It was accepted unanimously. In India Children’s Day has been pre-poned to November 14 to coincide with the birthday of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru because of his love for the children.

In schools and colleges many programmes are arranged so as to benefit the students. Apart from academic institutes, many youth organisations and NGOs also celebrate this day so that this noble concept reaches to many children. However, since a large number of children due to poverty and lack of opportunity either do not go to school or have dropped out midway, Children’s Day has lost its objectives, noble though. Yet the efforts are praiseworthy.

If our government seriously pursues children’s education in right earnest as it is done in many countries, the future will be different and the nations can boast of their achievements. We hope India will succeed in eradicating illiteracy in near future, and then only the association of Nehru’s birthday can be justified and will be relevant.

It is our honest wish that everybody in India gets educated and take part in nation building.