Having released two larger-than-usual special issues back to back for Ramadan and Eid, the holidays did us (ICE Today, of course!) good. Although, getting back to work after the seemingly petite break was an even bigger challenge. That being said, we get to publish one more issue of ICE Today before the Eid-ul-Adha special. We decided that it’s again time for our annual children’s issue.
Children are very special human beings – bundles of untapped potential, if you will. If a child is raised right, he or she can change the world for the better. If not then – well, Adolf Hitler was once an innocent child too. We have recently been made aware of brutal child murders through mainstream news as well as social media feeds. Rajan and Rakib were only two victims of such savagery that received widespread media attention. Thousands of children in our country are forced to work and beg from the time of birth. A huge fraction of these kids end up falling victim to such atrocities; there can never be an excuse for such cruelty to anyone, let alone children. Children need the extra care as well as the attention. They need proper nurturing and love in order for them to grow up to be wholesome individuals. A huge portion of our content in this issue is dedicated to said topic.
Children should be treated with equal respect and love regardless of caste, creed and intellectual ability. Every child faces certain challenges growing up – a need to belong, to be accepted and to prove themselves. For some it may come easier than others but at the end of the day all children are just that – innocent children. It should be the solemn vow of every citizen to ensure that every child is safe from harm and abuse – it is a formal responsibility of the state to make certain that that happens.
August marks the death anniversary of the legendary maestro of Bengali literature Rabindranath Tagore. Bengali heritage and culture owes much to this man who so lovingly gave us his all. It is only appropriate that this piece is signed off with a quote from Tagore:
“Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.”
Let us pay heed to Rabindranath’s words and always remember to responsibly love and raise our children. After all, they are Earth’s future.