Why Kids Call Him Chacha Nehru: Children’s Day 2025 Looks Back
Children’s Day 2025 puts attention on Nehru’s bond with children, why the nation chose Nov 14 and the ongoing conversations on child safety and learning.
image for illustrative purpose
Children’s Day was observed by schools and other educational institutions all over India on Friday, the day that commemorated the birth of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India. The day still holds the same mission it has had for years: to put children at the focus of the national limelight and to acknowledge their part in directing the country’s future.
Nehru who was called “Chacha Nehru” by the kids was always talking about the youth as the backbone of a nation. His conviction that the quality of a society depends on how well its children are brought up still plays a major role in the annual celebrations on November 14th.
Students took part in cultural programs, short dramas, music, quizzes and different activities arranged for the occasion across all the campuses. The teachers and school committees took the opportunity to point out the need for equal opportunity, accessibility to education and safe surroundings for every child on the day.
The message of Children’s Day is deeply rooted in Nehru's own words and many of them still resonate.
Here are five of his most famous quotes:
- Children do not perceive differences among themselves.
- The main goal of education is to foster the desire to serve society and thus provide common benefits through learning.
- Just like buds in a garden, children need gentle support because they symbolize the citizens of tomorrow.
- The best way to lead a child is through love; animosity never succeeds.
- The fate of India depends on the upbringing of today’s children.
Jewel of a day, the 14th of November, 1889, marked Nehru's birth who then contributed greatly to the educational research institutional fabric of India by laying the foundations for the Indian Institutes of Technology, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and the Indian Institutes of Management among other institutions that are still impacting the country’s professional and scientific sectors.
In India, Children's Day became what it is now only after the death of Jawaharlal Nehru. For the first three decades after the inception of the day, it was celebrated together with World Children's Day on the same date—November 20. However, Parliament later decided to change this date to November 14 in order to commemorate Nehru's close association with children. The day has always been used as a platform to stress the needs of children through the issues of their welfare, their education rights and the demand for protective policies.
