If we adults had a genie to grant us magic wishes, our choices would probably be grandiose, even practical. But ask a bunch of kids what is the one thing they really want and the innocent and insightful responses are sure to gladden your heart, and make you think at the same time.
This Children’s Day, My Kolkata spoke to a few young’uns, all under the age of 12, to ask them about their one wish for the day. The answers ranged from meeting famous people, and getting their favourite books, to colourful creations, and a wish for a more accepting world.
Read on to know what they had to say…
Cricket fever
Gunja Ray
Precocious seven-year-old Gunja Ray is cheering just as hard as we are for the Indian Cricket Team this World Cup. The Class II student of Modern High School, who had a chance to see the World Cup trophy when it came to her school a couple of months ago, wishes to meet the man of the moment. “I want to meet Virat Kohli, and hope India wins the 2023 World Cup,” she said. If Team India heard her adorable cheering, we’re sure they would find extra motivation to get that Cup this year!
A world of colour
Siddhant Biswas
Six-year-old Siddhant Biswas loves the colours of the world. For Children’s Day, he wants a million crayons in all different colours. “I’ll draw everything — cats, rockets and a big smiley sun,” said the Class I student of Ujjwal World School, Bengaluru. It won’t be a solo pursuit either, because he says he will share them with his friends to have “the best colouring party!” His colourful masterpiece? His favourite superhero! “I want to draw and colour Spider-Man, my favourite superhero. I want to hang it in my room.”
A house of stories
Gloria Nwankwo
We’ve all had that one doll or stuffed toy or action figure that was our favourite playmate growing up. Gloria Nwankwo’s simple wish is to have a Barbie doll house. For this Class II student of Loreto House, Kolkata, a doll house is not just only about playtime but a means to let her imagination soar. “I have been wanting a doll house ever since I was three years old,” said the eight-year-old, who misses an old doll house that broke. She loves doll houses because they are her favourite thing to play with after she gets “bored at home after studies” and she loves writing stories. “I also love these doll houses because I love writing stories and when I play with the dolls, I make a story.”
Playtime essentials
Saptangshu Dan
Wide, open fields where you can run around and play your favourite sports or even have a picnic seems more and more like a luxury not many urban kids have in today’s concrete labyrinths. So, seven-year-old Saptangshu Dan’s wish is possibly one that a few older city kids have also yearned for. The Class III student at Techno India Public School wants a big, open, “green” field for Children’s Day so he can play his favourite games, like “cricket, football, etcetera.”
Budding bibliophile
Victoria Nwankwo
Do you remember reading your favourite books under the blanket with a torch so that your parents wouldn't find out that you're awake past your bedtime? Victoria Nwankwo strikes us as one of those 10-year-olds. Her favourite books feature on the wishlist of this Class V student at Kolkata’s Loreto House School who “loves to read.” She wants “every single The Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Tom Gates books”. Reading is one of her hobbies and she loves “putting new books on my library shelf”. So, why these books? “I am really desperate to complete both the series. I am really curious to read all of them as they rank number 1 and 2 on my books bucket list respectively,” she said.
An accepting world
Abhigyan Nath
Sometimes it is the words of an 11-year-old that can make you pause and think. In a world demanding grace, when violence is on the news every other day, it isn’t surprising that peace features on the wishlist of Abhigyan Nath. The Class VI student at Kolkata’s Don Bosco High School wishes for “acceptance in the world”. With all the wisdom and insight of a decade, he realises that there is “barely any acceptance in the world [right now]” and hopes that his life ahead will see that change. “There’s a lot of fighting, a lot of violence going on in the world. And a lot of hate. I want all of that to stop,” he said.
