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Thursday March 28, 2024

‘Jasn-e-Azadi’ a festival of joy for kids

By Humayun Aziz Sandeela
August 15, 2016

Rawalpindi

For children, Independence Day is festival of joy when they can hoist national flags on their homes besides decorating them with buntings and illuminative lights. They love to sport badges as well as wrist bands and head bands of different varieties available at numerous roadside stalls, which mushroom around the city with advent of the month of August every year.

Some of them are well aware of the basic essence of the celebration of Independence Day. They respect the national flag, sing national songs, and seem quite enthusiastic well ahead of the ‘Jashn-e-Azadi’.

For kids the first selection is of flags, buntings, badges, caps, masks, head bands, wrist bands as children often get quite confused as what they want for the festive occasion.

However, they all try their level best in their preparations for the Independence Day and sometime face the competition among siblings as whose badges or wrist bands are better or who has decorated his or her bicycle in an elegant and beautiful manner.

For Ali, a 9-year-old boy, ‘Jashn-e-Azadi’ is a time in the year when we celebrate the day when Pakistan came into being. “It was 14th of August when the Muslims of Indo-Pak subcontinent were able to get a land of their own, where they could live life according to their religion. I studied it in my book and our teacher as well as my parents told me importance of this day,” said Ali, a student of grade 3.

For Myra, also a grade 3 student, we decorate our houses on this day with flags and buntings as well as illuminative lights particularly green and white ones and all my cousins participate in these decorations,” she added.

Manahil, a 7-year-old adorning her Independence Day stuff like badge, wrist band was very happy as ‘The News’ asked why she celebrates Independence Day, she said: “It is our independence day. I love going to parks particularly F-9 Park, on this day and have lots of fun,” she added smilingly.

For Sara and Dua, sisters of 6 and 4 years of age respectively and sporting identical head bands, Independence Day was the day they get flags and buntings and they like going to Ayub National Park with their family for enjoyment.

So it was quite heartening to hear that our children are aware of their history to some extent, they realise the importance of independence. However, the responsibility lies both on their parents and school administration as to inculcate the knowledge about our history through practical steps. The school administration besides teaching them about Pakistan’s history through syllabus can also help them realise their history through staging different plays and skits for such special occasions.

Children in Pakistan are starved for quality entertainment, for any occasion that gets them away from their television screens and out on the streets to enjoy life in all its fullness, and national days like Independence Day provide the perfect occasion. May the festivities in Pakistan never diminish in days to come, and may there be many more occasions for the country to celebrate together.