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An interesting history lesson for children

PICTURE PERFECT: A date with the Red Fort in Delhi. -- Photo: Sandeep Saxena

It was a special day at Delhi's grand old Red Fort on Tuesday. With over 300 children trooping in to visit the Fort, it was a chance for them to translate what they had learnt in history to real life.

Reaching out to the younger generation to spread awareness on World Heritage Day, an activity-filled day was organised by the Confederation of UNESCO Clubs and Associations of India together with the Institute of Archaeology under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

While April 18 is already marked out in the calendar as an important day for heritage lovers, there is always an attempt to convert younger people to the cause. With most children only visiting monuments on their annual school trips, this was ASI's opportunity to try and ensure that they get something extra so that history does not become an academic exercise but comes alive.

And making history interesting, children from 12 schools in the Capital and neighbouring States were taken round for a tour around the monument. Giving children who usually don't get a chance to visit monuments, the group also included kids from two non-formal learning centres. Conducted by the best ASI officers in the business, the tour gave children a historical background on the monument and its significance in world of architecture. The children were then asked to put their impressions down on paper in a painting competition.

Apart from on-the-spot painting competitions to recreate any part of the Red Fort in their drawings, there was also a quiz competition.

Quizzed about the three major monuments in the city, Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb and Red Fort, the children got to show off their skills on history. -- Mandira Nayar

-- Mandira Nayar

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