Nelson Mandela once said 'There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.”

India has come a long way since Independence. It has an industrial workforce to reckon with. It is an acknowledged nuclear power. India's IT industry rules the roost in the world. Today, the world acknowledges India as a super economy in the making.

Despite the country's impressive growth trajectory, the benefits of prosperity have not percolated down to its teeming millions especially the children. Independent estimates claim that nearly half of Indians are poor. The situation is worst when it comes to our children – the future of the nation - who comprise a whopping 35 per cent of the country's 1.3 billion population.

Over 6,000 children die in India every day and the national shame is the fact that a shocking 3,000 die due to malnutrition. What is worse is that India's infant mortality rate is an abysmal 53 per 1,000 births defying the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of 30. Nearly 1 million children die under the age of five, an estimated 39 deaths per 1,000 live births

The first question for our leaders is not 'how is the economy growing' but 'how our children are growing'.

India is perhaps the only developing country where more girls die than boys, with the inverse sex ratio at birth being 900 girls born for every 1000 boys. Globally 7 per cent more boys die under the age of 5 compared to girls but in India, 11 per cent more girls die under the age of 5.

Children from rural areas, slums and urban poor families, scheduled castes, tribal communities and other disadvantaged populations suffer from multiple deprivations related to poverty, malnutrition, access to quality health services, child marriage, poor school attendance, low learning outcomes, lack of sanitation facilities, hygiene, and access to improved water.

What we need to ensure is that the feeble voice of the children's heartbeat must continue to ring joy in our hearts for every child is a Godly gift to mankind. Every child silently waits for our hug of help, love and solace.