Bal Diwas on Nehru's birthday, 14 November; celebrates children's rights, care and education

Children's Day, or Bal Diwas, is celebrated in India on 14 November, the birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister, who was affectionately called 'Chacha Nehru' for his love of children. After his death in 1964, Parliament resolved to celebrate his birthday as Children's Day; before that India marked it on 20 November, the UN's Universal Children's Day. Nehru believed that children are the real strength of a nation and the foundation of society, and he championed education, science, and institutions for young people, including the founding of IITs and the Children's Film Society. Schools across India celebrate with cultural programmes, games, fancy-dress competitions, and teachers performing for students, and children are given sweets, books, and gifts. The day is also a reminder of children's rights — to education, health, nutrition, safety and play — and of the work that remains against child labour, child marriage and malnutrition. In the Indian tradition, children are regarded as forms of the divine, as in the worship of Bal Gopal and Kanya Puja.