Children's Day is recognized on various days in many places around the world, to

honor children globally. It was first proclaimed by the World Conference for the Well-being of
Children in 1925 and then established universally in 1954 to protect an "appropriate" day.[1]
International Day for Protection of Children, observed in many countries as Children's Day on June 1
since 1950, was established by the Women's International Democratic Federation on its congress
in Moscow (22 November 1949). Major global variants include aUniversal Children's Day on
November 20, by United Nations recommendation.[2]
Universal Children's Day takes place annually on November 20.[3] First proclaimed by the United
Nations General Assembly in 1954, it was established to encourage all countries to institute a day,
firstly to promote mutual exchange and understanding among children and secondly to initiate action
to benefit and promote the welfare of the world's children.
This day is observed to promote the objectives outlined in the Charter and for the welfare of children.
On November 20, 1958 the United Nations adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.[4] The
United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child on November 20, 1989 and can
be found here .
In 2000, the Millennium Development Goals outlined by world leaders in order to stop the spread of
HIV/AIDS by 2015. Albeit this applies to all people, the main objective is with regard to
children.[4] UNICEF is dedicated to meeting the six of eight goals that apply to the needs of children
so that they are all entitled to basic rights written in the 1989 international human rights
treaty.[5] UNICEF delivers vaccines, works with policymakers for good health care and education and
works exclusively to help children and protect their rights.[5]
In September 2012, the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations led the initiative for
the education of children.[6] He firstly wants every child to be able to attend school, a goal by
2015.[6] Secondly, to improve the skillset acquired in these schools.[6] Thirdly, implementing policies
regarding education to promote peace, respect and environmental concern.[6]
Universal Children's Day is not simply a day to celebrate children for who they are, but to bring
awareness to children around the globe that have succumbed to violence in forms of abuse,
exploitation and discrimination. Children are used as labourers in some countries, immersed in
armed conflict, living on the streets, suffering by differences be it religion, minority issues, or
disabilities.[7] Children feeling the effects of war can be displaced because of the armed conflict
and/or suffer physical and psychological trauma.[8] The following violations are described in the term
"children and armed conflict": recruitment and child soldiers, killing/maiming of children, abduction of
children, attacks on schools/hospitals and not allowing humanitarian access to children.[8] Currently
there are about 153 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 who are forced into child

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (pronounced

listen);

2 October

1869 30 January 1948) was the preeminent leader of Indian independence movement in Britishruled India. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired
movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahatma (Sanskrit: "highsouled", "venerable"[2])applied to him first in 1914 in South Africa,[3]is now used worldwide. He is
also called Bapu(Gujarati: endearment for "father",[4] "papa"[4][5]) in India.
Born and raised in a Hindu merchant caste family in coastal Gujarat, western India, and trained in
law at the Inner Temple, London, Gandhi first employed nonviolent civil disobedience as an
expatriate lawyer in South Africa, in the resident Indian community's struggle for civil rights. After his
return to India in 1915, he set about organising peasants, farmers, and urban labourers to protest
against excessive land-tax and discrimination. Assuming leadership of the Indian National
Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women's rights,
building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability, but above all for achieving Swaraj or selfrule.
Gandhi famously led Indians in challenging the British-imposed salt tax with the 400 km
(250 mi) Dandi Salt March in 1930, and later in calling for the British to Quit India in 1942. He was
imprisoned for many years, upon many occasions, in both South Africa and India. Gandhi attempted
to practise nonviolence and truth in all situations, and advocated that others do the same. He lived
modestly in a self-sufficient residential community and wore the traditional Indian dhoti and shawl,
woven with yarn hand spun on a charkha. He ate simple vegetarian food, and also undertook long
fasts as the means to both self-purification and social protest.
Gandhi's vision of a free India based on religious pluralism, however, was challenged in the early
1940s by a new Muslim nationalism which was demanding a separate Muslim homeland carved out
of India.[6] Eventually, in August 1947, Britain granted independence, but the British Indian
Empire[6] was partitioned into two dominions, a Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan.[7] As many
displaced Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs made their way to their new lands, religious violence broke
out, especially in the Punjab and Bengal. Eschewing the official celebration of independence in
Delhi, Gandhi visited the affected areas, attempting to provide solace. In the months following, he
undertook several fasts unto death to promote religious harmony. The last of these, undertaken on
12 January 1948 at age 78,[8] also had the indirect goal of pressuring India to pay out some cash
assets owed to Pakistan.[8] Some Indians thought Gandhi was too
accommodating.[8][9] Among them was Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist, who assassinated
Gandhi on 30 January 1948 by firing three bullets into his chest at point-blank range.[9]
Indians widely describe Gandhi as the father of the nation.[10][11] His birthday, 2 October, is
commemorated as Gandhi Jayanti, anational holiday, and world-wide as the International Day of
Nonviolence.

Christmas (Old English: Crstesmsse, meaning "Christ's Mass") is an annual commemoration

of the birth of Jesus Christ[6][7]and a widely observed cultural holiday, celebrated generally
on December 25[3][4][5] by billions of people around the world.[8][2][9] A feast central to
the Christian liturgical year, it closes the Advent season and initiates the twelve
days ofChristmastide, which ends after the twelfth night.[10] Christmas is a civil holiday in many of the
world's nations,[11][12][13] is celebrated by an increasing number of non-Christians,[1][14][15] and is an
integral part of the Christmas and holiday season.
While the birth year of Jesus is estimated among modern historians to have been between 7 and 2
BC, the exact month and day of his birth are unknown.[16][17] His birth is mentioned in two of the
four canonical gospels. By the early-to-mid 4th century, the Western Christian Church had placed
Christmas on December 25,[18] a date later adopted in the East,[19][20] although some churches
celebrate on the December 25 of the older Julian calendar, which corresponds to January in the
modern-dayGregorian calendar. The date of Christmas may have initially been chosen to
correspond with the day exactly nine months after early Christians believed Jesus to have been
conceived,[21] or with one or more ancient polytheistic festivals that occurred near southern
solstice (i.e., the Roman winter solstice); a further solar connection has been suggested because of
a biblical verse[a] identifying Jesus as the "Sun of righteousness".[21][22][23][24][25]
The celebratory customs associated in various countries with Christmas have a mix of pagan, preChristian, Christian, andsecular themes and origins.[26] Popular modern customs of the holiday
include gift giving, Christmas music and caroling, an exchange of Christmas
cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various Christmas decorations,
includingChristmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, and holly.
In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father
Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the
Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore.[27] Because gift-giving and many
other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity among both Christians
and non-Christians, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers
and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past
few centuries in many regions of the world.
"Christmas" is a compound word originating in the term "Christ's Mass". It is derived from the Middle
English Cristemasse, which is from Old English Crstesmsse, a phrase first recorded in
1038[7] followed by the word Cristes-messe in 1131.[28] Crst (genitive Crstes) is
from Greek Khrstos (),
[29][30]

"anointed";

f Hebrew Ma (

), "Messiah", meaning

and msse is from Latin missa, the celebration of the Eucharist. The form

"Christenmas" was also historically used, but is now considered archaic and dialectal;[31] it derives
from Middle English Cristenmasse.

S.no

State

Capital

Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad (Proposed new capital is Vijayawada

Region)

Arunachal Pradesh

Itanagar

Assam

Dispur

Bihar

Patna

Chhattisgarh

Raipur

Goa

Panaji

Gujarat

Gandhinagar

Haryana

Chandigarh

Himachal Pradesh

Shimla

10

Jammu and Kashmir

Srinagar (summer), Jammu (winter)

11

Jharkhand

Ranchi

12

Karnataka

Bengaluru

13

Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram

14

Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal

15

Maharashtra

Mumbai

16

Manipur

Imphal

17

Meghalaya

Shillong

18

Mizoram

Aizawl

19

Nagaland

Kohima

20

Odisha

Bhubaneswar

21

Punjab

Chandigarh

22

Rajasthan

Jaipur

23

Sikkim

Gangtok

24

Tamil Nadu

Chennai

25

Telangana

Hyderabad

26

Tripura

Agartala

27

Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow

28

Uttarakhand

Dehradun

29

West Bengal

Kolkata

S.no

Union Territories

Capital

Andaman
Islands

Chandigarh

Chandigarh

Dadar and Nagar Haveli

Silvassa

Daman and Diu

Daman

Delhi

Delhi

Lakshadweep

Kavaratti

Pondicherry

Pondicherry

and

Nicobar

Port Blair