14th November and India celebrated the Universal Children's Day on the day when Jawaharlal Nehru was Born. Somebody in email did ask me when exactly did India start celebrating Children's Day after Nehru's Death but aah, I fail to find this. If any one of you know the exact year when India started celebrating C-day, please do email me.

I feel its the need of the hour to pledge: To liberate every child from the web of Malnutrition, poverty, illiteracy and abuse. The Department of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Human Resource Development has indeed come out with nationwide program for holistic development of children below 6 years and expectant and lactating mothers too.

However, children's day is yet far away for celebrations for the child laborers in India. They work 10 to 12 hours a day under hazardous conditions sometimes, many kids doing small chores for a living too. Even kite making and crackers factories have child workers and at this tender age, they are abused, illiterate and face poverty.

I remember a 10 year old boy who polished my shoes and went to a studio with my hundred rupee note to get his pic so that I can put him in 'freesouls' page in sambhaav but aah, reluctantly he turned up after six months only to tell me that the money was grabbed by his Dad who drunk himself! Gosh....and that chaiwala boy who appeared in Freesouls was abused by his Dad and had to work hard to earn money for living.

It's here to see what actions are taken to pull these kids out from their diversed situation and time to look into their needs. Kids are after all, the future of the nation!

- ilaxi