Children are the flowers in the heaven. They are the angles in the blue sky. They are the pearl in the eyes of their mother and diamond in the eyes of their father. They are the embodiment of innocence, incarnation of simplicity and the true replica of God. When they cry, everything looks ugly and distorted; and when they smile, a peal of laughter is spread in everyone’s face in the family. They are the darling of every heart by their honesty, truthfulness and purity of mind and are also fondled, caressed and hugged by all.

Children live in the imaginary world of their own. They are free from worries and anxieties of life and the worldly problems do not touch them. On the sea-shore, they build a sand house and it seems a castle to them. They make paper boats and float them in the running water. It appears them as a ship or steamer sailing on the vast, wide and vivacious ocean. They confine themselves in the doll’s house and play with various toys. Breaking and making of toys are the striking feature of their daily life. They are not afraid of lightening and thunder. They observe the trees and creepers growing steadily in the garden and subsequently bearing fruits and flowers. They like colours and the lights of moon, stars and other heavenly bodies invite their attention. Their curious mind wants to know why such phenomena are happening? Time flies like a lark for them. Some people say, old age is the winter of life, youth is the spring of life and childhood is the summer of life. But this is not true. Childhood is the golden period of life.

Children are wiser than men and women. They open the mystery of life by their sharp intelligence. These little buds are the future helmsmen and helmswomen in our nation. The future of nation depends upon the quality of its children. If we want to make a great nation, we must pay maximum attention to the welfare and development of children. Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an everlasting impression. Their minds are like clean slate and whatever is taught or told is quickly printed in their memory. Everybody should speak them positive things for the growth of their personalities. Better education helps them to realize their potentialities. School is the citadel of learning for them. They develop their personality by following the ideals of teachers and exchanging their views with their fellow schoolmates. It is because they are the life and light of our society and pride and glory of our nation.

But another side of the gloomy picture is haunting my mind. On my way to school, I find the small children working hard throughout the day for their survival like a weak soldier. They are living in the slums. Some are orphans and some children are rotten in the quagmire of poverty. They have their dreams, hopes and aspiration. The futures of our nation are passing their days of cursed life in the slums. I bow down my head and tears of love and gratitude rolls down in my eyes for them. Because they are poor, disadvantaged and unprivileged, they are deprived of the equal opportunities that the other children get. It is the utter poverty that has crippled them. Is there no remedy for this malady? How and when this rare solution can be tackled. The older generations are tired of finding ways and means to solve this ticklish problem but the result is not far-reaching. Let us wait for the younger generations to see how they are eradicating the hydra-headed poverty from our country when fully grown up and how the moth-eaten buds are blossoming into fragrant flowers!