Excursion to the Nehru Planetarium-class 2

Children are like buds in a garden and should be carefully and lovingly nurtured, as they are the future of the nation and the citizens of tomorrow. - Jawaharlal Nehru These words of India's first prime minister are significant as children are indeed the future of a nation and their young minds need to be nurtured carefully to help them blossom. To expose children to this nation-builder and introduce them to his ideals, a visit was arranged to the Nehru Museum and Planetarium on 21st January, 2016.

The official residence of the Late Pandit Nehru has been converted into a museum after his death. The colonial building with its teak paneled rooms, high ceilings, spacious verandas and well-kept gardens seemed to fascinate the young visitors. They listened in awe as their teachers walked them through the rooms, explaining the significant items preserved therein. There were innumerable pictures, letters, personal effects and artefacts received by Nehru during his travels in India and abroad. An exhibition of photographs, manuscripts, newspapers, periodicals and other documentations from the period are amply displayed in the galleries of the museum and provided us with a vivid account of the life and work of great patriot. The teachers reminded the children of some of the great moments in history, that they had already been told about in the classroom. We were shown the life sized granite rock on the front lawn, delicately engraved with excerpts from Panditji's timeless speech, Our tryst with destiny... . As we know, this is a historic speech delivered by Pandit Nehru at the midnight session of the Indian Constituent Assembly on August 14-15, 1947. The visit turned out to be an invaluable experience for the children as they were reinforced by yet another hands-on lesson, as it were, of the story of India. Ms. Priyanka Malhotra.