Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India, if alive, would have been elated to see hundreds of children playing around in merry abandon on the sprawling lawns of his residence-cum-office at Teen Murti Bhawan in Indian capital New Delhi.
India's children's day falls on his birthday every year on Nov. 14, as the prime minister loved children dearly and he was their " Chacha Nehru"or
Nehru uncle. So his birthday is celebrated as Children's Day across India.
"Nehru Chacha used to love children a lot,"said Ruby a class eighth student of St. Giri School who had come to visit Teen Murti Bhawan which was turned into a museum after Nehru's death in May 1964.
Ruby was amongst scores of students from various schools who had come to the museum to know "Chacha" a bit more just on his birthday.
The museum is expecting to receive over 3,000 school children through this month of November and is especially organizing various interactive
programs, including guided tours for children.
A festival for children "Dhanak Dhin Bal Mela"will also be held for three days towards the end of this month, apart from a book fair,"said Nisha who works at the museum.
For those visiting the museum these days are getting a taste of Nehru's way of life.
"This is an educational trip to familiarize students with Nehru's life style, his letters written to his daughters, his family history and,
moreover, renew his bond with kids,"said Rajni Sharma, Principle of Deshbandhu School.
The museum has preserved and displayed things which Nehru used while he stayed at Teen Murti Bhawan and worked as prime minister from there. "One can still visualize how he must have worked from his office. His chair, table, library, bedroom, living room and the bed he died on all help to imagine the kind of life he must have spent here,"said Anuradaha, a class 9th student from Deshbandhu School.
For Preeta, another girl from the school, it was a chance to see Nehru's long coat which he used to don during winters and a rose pinned on
its top front pocket.
Nehru famously used to sport red roses on his coat. He often compared children with roses and said children should be as carefully and lovingly
nurtured as the flower.
He strongly believed that children should be allowed to grow as "individuals" without patronizing them. It's clear from his letters to his daughter Indira Gandhi, who became the third prime minister of India.
"I have tried with what success I cannot say not to force my ideas and patterns of life on you. I want you to grow and develop after your own
fashion and only so can you fulfill your life's purpose,"reads an excerpt of
a letter he wrote to Indira Gandhi whom he used to call Indu. The letter is displayed at the museum.
Another letter, when Indira gave birth to his first son, had one or two advices from his father whom she fondly called "Papu". "A child has to be
treated as an individual but it is.equally important to treat him as social being who can live at peace and cooperation with others."
The advice he gave decades ago is even more pragmatic in today's age when children are under growing pressure from their peers, parents and
society to excel in every sphere of life.
According to a study, Indian kids are under tremendous pressure to do well in exams otherwise "they fear to be called a failure".
The study said kids are under pressure from teachers and their parents in "conditioning" their minds what to achieve in life without considering
their capabilities and interest. They are accused of trying to influence children the kind of subjects they should choose and the career they should opt for.
Sharma agreed that the practice is prevalent in society and said her school is doing its bit in achieving all-round growth of students.
"We do not patronize kids. We encourage them to take their own decisions. Letting them do things on their own under supervision gives them
confidence and helps them making their own choices," said Sharma.
There were students who thought they were lucky to have parents who don't force their choices upon them.
"My parents give me the due freedom to what I want to become. If a child is interested in humanities and if his parents force him her to take up science then the child won't perform well," said Manjeet Singh a class ninth student of Veerchand Singh Gharwali Sarodaya Vidyala, Saket, New Delhi.
Nehru, always felt children were the future of the nation and the very foundation of society.
Children's Day is an opportunity to pay tribute to"Chacha Nehru"and strengthen his belief by celebrating childhood and stepping up efforts to enable children to enjoy and grow in healthy environment.
The day is generally celebrated by holding various cultural programs in schools all across India.