“You are the architects of tomorrow”

Nehru talks to children on Children’s Day

By P.J. Sam Alexander, SJ

(India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, wanted his birthday, 14 November, to be celebrated as Children’s Day. What if he were to address children all over the world on Children’s Day? P.J. Sam Alexander, SJ thinks this is what he will say.)

Children, today is your day—Children’s Day—but it is also a moment for reflection. I wish to speak to you not merely as a former Prime Minister or historian, but as someone who believes deeply in the promise and power that rests within each of you. You are the architects of tomorrow, and your choices today will shape the world you inherit.

I have often written to my daughter, Indira, to awaken curiosity, courage, and compassion in her heart. Today, I address you all in the same spirit. But I must speak frankly, for the world you live in now offers not only opportunities but also peril. Studies show that empathy, respect, and moral responsibility among youth are sometimes declining, linked to a mercenary focus in education, excessive digital influence, and rapid societal changes (ResearchGate, 2022; Rajput & Singh, 2023).

Yet this is not a cause for despair. Rather, it is a call to action. True education is not merely about memorising facts—it is about understanding, questioning, and forming your own informed opinions. It is about growing into courageous, thoughtful, and compassionate human beings.

Let me share five lessons that will help you navigate life, avoid its traps, and embrace your highest potential.

1. Be Curious Explorers of Our World

Do not confine yourselves to narrow boundaries. I once told Indira: “I dislike very much boys and girls learning the history of just one country… But history is one connected whole and you cannot understand even the history of any one country, if you do not know what has happened in other parts of the world” (Nehru, Glimpses of World History).

True education is about growing into courageous, thoughtful, and compassionate human beings.

Children, the world is full of knowledge – but it is also full of misinformation. Digital media can mislead you, presenting mere opinions as facts and fostering division. Be curious explorers: question everything, analyze carefully, and form your own informed opinions.

Seek understanding, not simply consumption. And in your explorations, let empathy guide your interactions, for every person is part of your shared human story.

2. Let Love Inspire Courage and Honesty

Your parents are your first teachers. I wrote to Indira: “Never do anything in secret or anything that you would wish to hide. The desire to hide anything means that you are  afraid, and fear is a bad thing and unworthy of you. Be brave, and all the rest follows.” (Nehru, Glimpses of World History).

Children, drugs, peer pressure, and the temptation to follow false paths can threaten your integrity. Let the love of your parents inspire you to be honest, courageous, and morally upright. Share your struggles with them, seek guidance, and act with clarity. True strength is found not in avoidance but in confronting fear, speaking the truth, and standing firm in what is right.

3. Challenge Your Teachers and Cultivate Your Scientific Spirit

Science and rational thought are essential to solving society’s greatest challenges: “It is science alone that can solve the problems of hunger and poverty, of insanitation and illiteracy, of superstition and deadening custom and tradition…” (Nehru, The Discovery of India).

Yet too often, education today is reduced “merely to scoring good marks” (ResearchGate, 2022). Do not accept this limitation. Ask questions, explore ideas, and think critically. Let your learning illuminate truth, guide ethical choices, and empower you to face the challenges of misinformation, false narratives, and shallow knowledge. Science and curiosity are your shields and your lanterns.

4. Resist Hatred and Build a Nation of Tolerance

Division, prejudice, and individualism are growing threats. I have long observed: “The spectacle of what is called religion, or at any rate organised religion, in India and elsewhere, has filled me with horror and I have frequently condemned it and wished to make a clean sweep of it” (Nehru, The Discovery of India).

The traps of drugs, digital escapism, and isolation are real, but your moral courage can be stronger.

Children, your generation can reject isolation and narrow-mindedness. Social media, tribalism, and intolerance seek to divide us, but you have the power to stand for unity, equality, and compassion. Demand an education and a society that nurtures empathy, understanding, and cooperation. Build connections, resist hatred, and make tolerance your guiding principle.

5. Embrace Service and Confront Injustice

Evil unchecked poisons the entire system: “Evil unchecked grows, evil tolerated poisons the whole system” (Nehru, The Discovery of India)

Children, life is more than personal success. Confront injustice, resist selfish individualism, and embrace service. The traps of drugs, digital escapism, and isolation are real, but your moral courage can be stronger. Act with conscience, act for the greater good, and inspire others through integrity and compassion. Every act of honesty, empathy, and service strengthens society and builds a future worth inheriting.

Therefore, my dear children, I urge you to dream without fear, think with clarity, act with courage, and live with a heart full of compassion. Let the lessons of the past guide your steps, let purpose light your path today, and let hope and wisdom shape the world you will build tomorrow. The future stands open before you. Claim it with courage, nurture it with kindness, and fill it with the light of knowledge and humanity.

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