DR. VIKRANT VPM
In India, the idea of childhood has never been static. It has shifted gently, sometimes dramatically, across generations — shaped by family structures, economic change, technology, and cultural memory.
For India’s older generations — particularly those born before the 1970s — childhood was rooted in community. Celebrations were simple but deeply collective. A child’s birthday might be marked with homemade sweets, blessings from elders, and laughter spilling into the courtyard where cousins, neighbours and friends gathered without invitation. There were no return gifts, theme decorations or printed invitations. Instead, the focus was on belonging. Childhood was celebrated in togetherness.
“Those days, a child’s joy was the family’s joy,” recalls 78-year-old retired schoolteacher Sarojini Devi. “We celebrated not with money, but with presence. A new dress stitched at home, a plate of jalebis, and all the children of the lane playing together — that was enough.” For her generation, children learned through shared life — helping in the kitchen, listening to folk tales from grandparents, and participating in festivals as part of the family unit rather than as the center of attention.
By the 1990s and 2000s, as India opened its economy and nuclear families became common in urban areas, a shift took place. Parents belonging to Generation X and early Millennials sought to give their children opportunities they themselves never had. The celebration of childhood became aspirational. Birthday parties began moving to children’s halls and restaurants, school competitions and coaching classes multiplied, and hobbies became resume-builders. Childhood was increasingly associated with achievement — and parents carried the quiet pressure to ‘shape the child’s future’.
“Parents of my generation grew up with scarcity,” says Meenal Patil, a 45-year-old banking professional. “So we wanted to give our children everything — the best school, the best toys, the best chances. Celebrating the child also meant preparing them.” While love remained constant, childhood celebrations became more structured, more planned, and often more material.
Today, children growing up in the 2010s and 2020s — widely referred to as Generation Alpha — live in a world defined by digital connectivity. Their birthdays may involve personalised cakes, return-gift bags, and party planners. Photos are posted instantly on family WhatsApp groups and social media. The celebration of children is no longer limited to family or locality — it is visible, shared, and sometimes evaluated in the court of public opinion.
At the same time, modern parents are rediscovering older values. Many families are choosing storytelling sessions, nature experiences, local cultural games, and family rituals to introduce children to roots. Schools are emphasising emotional well-being along with academic excellence. Awareness of children’s rights has grown, with conversations around bullying, mental health, and safe environments becoming mainstream.
Experts say this blending of past and present is a crucial evolution. “Each generation in India has celebrated children differently because society itself has changed,” explains child psychologist Dr. Nivedita Rao. “But across time, two elements have remained constant — affection and aspiration. What differs is how love is expressed and what dreams are imagined for the child.”
As India enters what demographers call Generation Beta (children born from 2025 onwards), celebrations may once again transform — shaped by artificial intelligence, climate concerns, and new education models. Yet, the cultural heartbeat remains strong: the child is seen not just as an individual but as a promise of tomorrow.
Whether it is a grandmother tying a black thread to ward off the evil eye, or a parent recording a child’s first dance for Instagram, the essence remains the same — the desire to protect, to nurture, to cherish.
In the end, childhood in India continues to be celebrated not just through events or rituals, but through the belief that every child holds within them a world waiting to unfold. The forms have changed, but the love has not.
(The writer is an assistant professor of Economics at Government College, Quepem.)
