Saturday 14 November 2009

Happy Children 's Day


Children's day, in hindi known as "Bal Diwas", in India falls on November 14th every year and for good reason. Children's day in India is celebrated on Pandit Nehru's birthday as a day of fun and frolic, a celebration of childhood, children and Nehruji's love for them.
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’. ((Above -my friend Ruth with her grandson)
Celebrations
As a tribute to this great man and his love for the children, his birthday is celebrated all over India as ‘CHILDREN’S DAY’. Most schools have cultural programmes for the day, with the students managing it all. All over the country, various cultural, social, and even corporate, institutions conduct competitions for children. Children's Day is a day for children to engage in fun and frolic. Schools celebrate this day by organizing cultural programmes. Teachers of the school perform songs and dances for their students. Therefore, Children's Day is special. It is a day set aside to remember Pandit Nehru and his love for children.
(courtesy Indif.com)

Above are the children of the toilers of the brick kilns.I took these photos on my trip. Children such as these are bereft of all the joy and celebration .They live almost forgotten lives . The bright beams of education, health services and progress rarely touch their lives. But it is heartening to see that social and private organizations making a small difference in the world of the more fortunate ones.
Jesus has given us a heart of compassion for children. He said"Forbid not these little ones from coming to me".
He said;the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are like little children.
Why little children? Because children are dependent. They cannot survive without care and provision. They yield themselves to their parents or caregivers. There is no pride, arrogance or stubbornness in hearts. (except those who don 't want to eat their veggies or stop watching too much of Cartoon Network! LOL)
Likewise we can only enter into the kingdom of God if we totally surrender ourselves to him. Depend upon him for our sustenance and growth. Be open to his correction and molding.
But we have to take an important step first.
"But as many as received Him to them gave He the right to become the children of God even to those who believe in His name" John 1;12
******************************
Its been raining since the past 2 days. The downpour washed out many of the Children Day 's celebrations like picnics and sports events.
A family visited us in the afternoon and she brought us love ly rice and coconut pancakes as a surprise.
The rain stopped by 3 pm and again we went to some brick kilns to compare prices etc. We are close to an order.
Sorry I' ve been a little slow in visiting blogs in the past few days,I will drop for a vist soon.

13 Fertilize my soul:

Felisol said...

Dear Amrita,
I am impressed by the fact the the overpopulated India celebrates her children.
That's a sign of true civilization.
(As opposed to China who is killing her baby girls).
Children are the greatest gift for rich and poor. I pray that health and education may reach the children working for your church as well. Poor, beautiful God-made creatures.
From Felisol

David C Brown said...

An old preacher used to tell us that the Bible says that Jesus took the children in His arms - but it never tell us that He put them down again! He is still holding them.

Olde Dame Penniwig said...

What a wonderful day India has established. It puts heart into me to hear of it.

I remember when "Nehru jackets" were fashionable in the U.S. Too bad the emulation of that great man stopped at fashion and did not adopt his deeper values.

Sorry to hear the rain precluded many festivities. I know the rain is welcome, but the timing was poor!

Amrita said...

Dear Felisol, I know at least on this day the progress and betterment of our future generation is thought about and their attention is paid to their needs.
People distribute gifts and care packages to needy children in the cities mainly.
I wish more could be done for kids in rural areas.

David that thought from the preacher is so though provoking.Jesus is very tender heared towards children.

Hi Penni, I never knew Nehru jackets were in vogue in the US at one time. His grandson our late PM Rajiv Gandhi use to war them, they look smart.
Some school had kind of indoor picnics. The Catholic Boy 's School had to postpone their Sports Day

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi Amrita:)

Your header photo and the profile photo is lovely.

This is a fantastic post on Children's day and Chacha Nehru. The photos you have posted tell a story of their own.

I wonder how many other countries celebrate Children's day.

Have a nice day Amrita:)
Joseph

Mrs. Mac said...

Children, humanity before it's corrupted by the world. This is the age to reach with the Gospel. Bal Diwas must be such a 'looked forward to' celebration. Again, another teaching moment here, Amrita. Thanks for sharing your part of the world.

Hugs,

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

Happy Children's Day. Children are our hope for the future. It is very important what we teach them and what they see in us as examples for that what will mold their future behavior. Adults have a lot of influence on these young souls so that we must always be very careful in what we show them.
Thanks for the post. God bless you always.

Amrita said...

Thank you Mel and Mrs mac

Creative-Type Dad said...

I've heard of this tradition day before but didn't know much about it. Thanks for enlightening me.

Terry said...

dear amrita..they don't have children's day in canada...maybe it would be a good idea...this is one lovely post!
jesus loves the little children of the world!...love terry

Amrita said...

Dear Terry the Canadian Prime Minister Harper was in India 2 days back. I saw his photos in the news.I have a video for you on my Facebook wall.

David C Brown said...

I've just enjoyed a run through some of your old posts!

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