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Children’s Day Talk – Dr. Jawahar Surisetti, Advisor to Government of India

Each child is special. Their uniqueness lies, as much as in their skills and talents, as in their questions, imaginations and sense of wonder. Some children may be good in sports, some in arts, some in science or some in business. Some are orators, others dreamers, some loud and expressive, some shy and conservative. But each child has something special to offer to this world. We truly believe that ‘Every Child is Special’.

The UN celebrates World Children’s Day on 20 November while in India, Children’s Day is celebrated on 14 November. This date is the birth anniversary of India’s First Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru who believed that children are the real strength and foundation of a nation. We at Curious Times too believe that the holistic development of children is the first step in building a better world and we strive every day to do just that. We are also in constant engagement with the education community – students, teachers and educators. It is our cherished goal to make a meaningful contribution to the community by working and interacting with leaders in the field.

And so, this Children’s Day, Curious Times is delighted to bring you a special message from an eminent leader of various impact projects in eductaion and design thinking , Dr. Jawahar Surisetti. He works as an Advisor to the Government of India.

In your inspiring journey as an educator what different types of experiences have you had with children that make you believe every child is special? I have realised that we evolve as human beings after interacting with children. Their innocence, their energy, their emotions inspire me to do more for them and learn more from them

At times it happens that children end up teaching something valuable to adults. Please share any such experience that you have had. I had delivered a lecture at an international school and had stepped out of the auditorium. Then a 6th grader stopped me and said that he wanted to ask me a question. I agreed. He asked, ”Who is God ?” I started to speak to impress him with key knowledge but he went on without letting me speak. He said, “No, I don’t want any definition of God. I want that you enable 10 of us to sit informally and discuss what each one of us thinks about God. Our school does not allow this informal discussion”. This incident made me realise that children have their own ideas and perceptions which they are unable to vent out in the formalised, syllabus-oriented, regimented school structure. We need to give them space to breathe and explore

What steps should be taken collectively by Schools, Parents, Teachers and the Government to ensure that the special talent and uniqueness in every child is encouraged rather than measuring each child on the same traditional metric? All the three at their own levels will need to objectively identify, nurture and motivate talents. In the current structure, even if the parent or school identifies a particular talent but if that particular talent is not in sync with the definition of “success” or “desirable” in the perception of the home or school, they allow it to die due to lack of motivation. Any positive talent today may be something that will be in vogue tomorrow. So it is redundant to judge talents based on our past experience. The government could hold talent hunts, provide scholarships and find ways and provide platforms to nurture such talents and publicise them so that more and more children are motivated to showcase their own talents.

On the occasion of Children’s Day, share your message with your and your children on the Curious Times platform. Children’s Day is a celebration of the creativity and positivity of children which we need to tap as well as learn from. This will guide us towards building a future society led by these children who will become socially responsible leaders of tomorrow.

Do also catch Dr. Jawahar Surisetti‘s complete interview and motivational message in a chat with Curious Times Director, Deepti Beri on our YouTube Channel Curious Times.

Special conversation in Hindi

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