Community service is not my cup of tea but recently, some of my friends forced me to participate in a community service activity that turned out to be an eye-opener for me. It was organised at a juvenile rehabilitation centre that is meant for child offenders. The event began by giving away sweets to them. Even though these children were stiff-faced as though they were all tough guys, my friends and I tried to bring out the child in them. That finally happened when we played cricket with them which helped us in breaking the ice with them. It was followed by a screening of a Harry Potter movie during which I realised that their innocence is still uncorrupted as they watched it with such fascination. Eventually a question arose in my mind — what sets these children apart from other regular kids? Then I remembered William Wordsworth’s quote, “The Child is the father of Man”. The character of a man is developed from what he is exposed to as a child. Without a proper environment to develop in, a child loses all the beauty and innocence of childhood. That can be prevented only if the children are always given the love they need.
