Rabindranath also grew up under stern discipline

So, it can be said that our children will also grow up to be like Rabindranath Tagore. If not Tagore himself, at least his brothers or nephews. Tagore grew up under strict discipline, and our children face even more severe conditions through parental punishment and family violence.

Before discussing the present, let's take a flashback to more than 150 years ago. Rabindranath was growing up in the Thakur Bari of Jorasanko. His upbringing was different from that of an average Bengali boy.

Rabindranath's father was Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, and his grandfather was Prince Dwarkanath Tagore, the founder of Jorasanko Thakur Bari. The environment there was unique.

In the article "Rabindranather Vrittyakul" (Rabindranath's Servant Clan), Purnendu Bikash Sarkar wrote: The vast family of Jorasanko Thakur Bari did not have a custom of paying special attention or showing affection to young children, possibly because it was not feasible. Moreover, in aristocratic households, it was customary to hand over children to servants shortly after birth rather than keeping them with their mothers.

As a result, young Rabindranath was handed over to servants at an early age. His childhood and adolescence were spent under the care of servants, which wasn't always pleasant.

The elite guardians of the large Thakur Bari, whether from elitist thinking or other reasons, left child-rearing to the servants, who often developed a domineering attitude. While some servants showed affection towards the children, many were less compassionate and, in some cases, quite harsh. Frightening the children and physical punishment were regular occurrences.

Rabindranath mentioned: "We would cry after being beaten, but the one who punished us didn't consider it proper behaviour. In fact, they saw it as sedition against the servant rulers. I remember efforts to silence our cries by submerging our heads in large water jars."

Now you understand why I compared our children's childhood with that of Rabindranath's. However, unlike the "fun-filled Bengal," this is no laughing matter.

On the occasion of the first-ever International Day of Sport (June 11), UNICEF released a report revealing alarming data on children facing violence. The report highlighted the deficiencies in household communication and overall care and stimulation for children.

9 out of 10 children face violence

The UNICEF report states that in Bangladesh, 9 out of 10 children aged 1 to 14 face violence at least once a month, affecting 45 million children negatively. Despite progress in child protection, millions of children are still harmed by violence, abuse, and exploitation.

The new data from UNICEF shows that globally, 400 million children under five, or 6 out of 10 children in this age group, regularly endure physical punishment at home. Around 330 million of these children face physical punishment.

Such punishment has a severe negative impact on children. Research indicates that punishment or expressions of anger can temporarily disrupt a child's brain function. Repeated incidents can lead to permanent changes or damage to the brain's structure and shape. Children learn less in joyless environments, whether at home or school.

Often, we punish children with the intent to teach them, be it physically or mentally. We fail to understand the extent of harm this causes. Yet, who loves a child more than their parents?