Children's Day 2019: In memory of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India celebrates Bal Diwas on 14 November

Children’s Day 2019 | Every year, on 14 November India pays tribute to the first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru by celebrating his birth anniversary as Children’s Day. On this day, everyone reminisces him for his contribution towards building the nation and for his love for kids. It was also because of his extra warmth towards the kids that people fondly remember him as ‘Chacha Nehru’. Before 1964, India celebrated Children’s Day on 20 November, which is observed as the universal Children’s Day by the United Nations. But after his demise in 1964, it was unanimously decided to commemorate him on ‘Bal Diwas’ due to his love and affection towards children. The United Nations however still celebrates Universal Children’s Day, on 20 November worldwide each year to promote peace, togetherness and awareness among kids. [caption id=“attachment_6703151” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Nehru viewed film as a tool for the education and development of the country’s identity. Agence France-Presse[/caption] Born in 1889, Pandit Nehru was also known for his popularity among kids. His books on Indian history and world history is read by school children and have also been adopted into TV series. Being an advocate of development and education of children in the country, Nehru oversaw the establishment of some of the most prominent educational institutions in India. Through his vision for the development of youth, he helped in setting up the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, or AIIMS, and the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT). With that, he even initiated the establishment of the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM). Nehru also laid the foundation stone of the Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT), Allahabad, in 1961, which was inaugurated by the next prime minister, Lal Bahadur Shashtri, in 1965. Apart from his role as a freedom fighter and politician, Nehru has left behind a legacy of education and development of children in the country, and 14 November is celebrated as a tribute to him.