India celebrates its 73rd Independence Day on 26th January 2022 like every other day amid the crisis. On this day, the Indian Constitution came into existence in 1950. The Constitution of India is a huge document that lays down the powers, duties, fundamental rights, procedures and directive principles of The Government of India and its citizens
Celebrations of Republic Day in India
- The Republic Day parade is the star of the show
- The President of the country hoists the flag, presents bravery awards to citizens of India
- The Prime Minister of India pays homage to all the soldiers who have lost their lives in the wars
- The three divisions of the Indian Armed Forces – Air Force, Navy and Indian Army, lead the parade and is followed by a rally of marching soldiers, aircraft shows, military bands, etc.
Communities, apartments, associations, schools, etc. hoist flags in their premises to remember and honour the day that the Constitution was adopted.
Republic Day in schools of India
Republic Day is a day when children of Government and Government-aided schools get something more than midday meals. It is a special day for young children which is celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm. Children enact the roles of being freedom fighters, participate in debates favouring these brave souls and sing in their praise.
Though children might be hesitant to come to schools on a national holiday, most of them come for something special. Apart from midday meals, children also wait for sweets to be distributed as sweets and snacks are a luxury for these children who hardly get to eat one square meal a day. In some places, it is the day where an NGO in India might take care of the food and snacks of one or two schools, while others make children aware of their history and freedom fighters.
Children who come to school and enjoy it everyday
For some children, coming to school is an absolute necessity. School is the only place that helps them think, learn and achieve as the situations in their house does not permit them to exceed. Coming to school guarantees that they are not becoming victims of child labour and that they become educated enough to become self-dependent. Midday meals provided at schools ensure that they come back to school every single day and Republic Day is a special occasion for these children.
Sachin wants to be a Pilot
Growing from being a malnourished child who did not have any energy and zeal to do anything in life to becoming a sharp child who takes part in all curricular activities, 9-year-old Sachin wants to become a Pilot and make lots of money for his parents. He gives all the credit for his betterment to his teachers, friends and one specific NGO in India that served school meals every day.
Sujita wants to become a doctor
Having no parents to raise her does not make her feel vulnerable; Sujita was raised by her grandfathers. Though they can’t give everything, they enrolled her to a school that could give wings to her dreams. All her food needs are taken care of by her school in Silvassa. She loves coming to school as it keeps her focused to learn and work towards achieving her dreams of becoming a doctor.
Prajesh wants to be a Prime Minister
Prajesh is a young boy who is a huge fan of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Very focused on achieving his dreams, he wants to do a lot for the nation. He does not miss even one day of school as he does not want to be diverted in his studies. Food and education was something very important to him after moving from Bareilly to Daman and he was very happy.
A few common things in these children – they have dreams and eat school meals provided by one NGO in India – The Akshaya Patra Foundation.
To read more such stories of children, click here.
Akshaya Patra is an NGO that serves school meals to children coming from challenging socio-economic backgrounds. It is renowned for running the world’s largest NGO run school lunch programme, serving freshly cooked nutritious mid-day meals to over 1.8 million children in 19,039 schools of 14 states & 1 union territory of India. For the last 21 years, it has been serving nutritious and locally palatable meals to school children studying in Government and Government-aided schools.
There are many such students who need the support of midday meals to come to schools everyday. Let’s support their food and education with this NGO in India that implements the midday meal scheme in India.
John F Kennedy’s historic words were, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” This Republic Day, let’s support the dreams of young children who dream big in life. Donate online to Akshaya Patra to reach out to more children who need support.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation 