Kids’ Watch

The police decided to celebrate Children's Day a little differently this year. All that was needed was a small shamiana, a couple of durries...

The police decided to celebrate Children’s Day a little differently this year. All that was needed was a small shamiana, a couple of durries and a microphone, for Rizwana Kashyap, wife of Police Commissioner KK Kashyap, had decided to involve the police in the work that is being done by the National Society for Clean Cities (NSCC). She had invited the children from the 12 Police Lines in Pune to, as she puts it, “spread awareness amongst children, a notion of civic sense and public behaviour. I plan to ask them some thought-provoking questions and talk to them about being good citizens and good human beings.” Gita Vir, President of the NSCC is in complete agreement with this method, “Children must be made aware of what is not right. The questions will bring it to their notice. It used to be taught in an earlier generation but not anymore. Children see it on television and they see posters but they are not told how to implement it in their own environment”.

This is where this programme comes in, explains Kashyap, “We first plan to cover all the 12 police lines in Pune in the same manner – making them aware of their surroundings”.

It makes sense to begin with the children for as Deepika Bansal, member of the NSCC, says, "Children are very receptive, but often parents do not take the time to teach them. In a group of 30-40 kids, three or four of them will be very aware and 99 per cent of the time, they will have learnt it from their mothers. It shows just how much influence parents have on their kids". Kashyap set the proceedings in motion-with the question “Do you like your house and why?” The children aged mostly between six and sixteen years were a highly involved audience and came up with answers such as “Our parents love us, we keep it clean, we get shelter from the rain, it increases our self-confidence”. Questions then moved on what they would do for the country and answers ranged from earning riches to sweeping their homes to growing trees. One had to be appreciative of the more sophisticated ones such as encouraging the use of domestic products to save foreign exchange, becoming a builder to be able to construct buildingsthat would not collapse and becoming a member of the municipality because no one seemed to pay attention to beggars on the street.

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And the children whose answers showed that much thought had gone into it were not to go home unrewarded. Mohini Shinde, Snehal Mahamulkar, and Raju Mulani went home with the first three prizes for their careful answers.

Kashyap ended by explaining what constituted a good citizen. “Education and money do not necessarily make a good person. For that one needs a good mind, a desire to help others. It is necessary to start with the self, the house and the school. Look to what you do. Ask your parents not to throw garbage out from the windows and not to spit. Start with daily life”.

The programme ended in a mad rush as children demonstrated just how willing they are to make their contribution. They gave their names to be included in any operation that Kashyap plans to organise within the police lines.