RESPECTFUL childhood

A scene from ‘Sa Re Ga Ma lil champs Kannada’ two Sundays ago --

Anchor- Oh you are so skinny. How many Idllis do you eat for breakfast?

Participant (a little girl) - One or two… [ Looks painfully at her]

Judge- Oh, one Idlly! That’s too much. Now onwards don’t eat idlies at all. Just take in the smell of Idlies. Ha! Ha!Ha! [Sarcastically]

And a big round of applause from the audience for his VALUABLE comments……
As far as we know judges for such reality shows have an authority to comment on the voice quality of the singers. But I would like to know who gave them the authority to pass degrading comments on the physical shape of the singers especially to a little girl?

Mostly a child’s physical features are decided by hereditary. Is it right to humiliate a child in public for none of his/her mistake? Is it correct to prick the tender heart which may already be crying from inside for its ugly looks? Please remember for a child the joy of success is temporary and pain of humiliation can be permanent.

In this day and age, a child is a precious commodity and there is an industry that thrives under the claim of providing a bright future, great exposure and so on. But can we allow the market to kill our child’s self-esteem, self -confidence, innocence and his/his invaluable childhood? Should we allow the apple of our eye to become an easy tool for someone’s money making scheme?

Knowingly or otherwise, most of us tend to pass comments at little ones like “you are fat /skinny/ dwarf /a coconut tree/a soda buddy / kaddi pailwan / charcoal and what not…. But just think once: what do we achieve by hurting that little soul? Can our comment change his/her body shape?

I feel children are the angels on this earth and they deserve a RESPECTFUL childhood. What do you say?