Eminent Indians unite for child rights

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Mumbai, Jan 9 (UNI) Child Rights and You (CRY), the premier organisation advocating child rights together with Penguin Books India has released a book of 86 poems, each the choice of an eminent Indian acting as an emissary for child rights.

The book 'A Poem For CRY' was released by superstar Amitabh Bachchan last night at the J W Marriott here in Mumbai. He also read a poem by his father the late Harivanshrai Bachchan 'What do I remember, What do I forget?' The book has the choices of President of India A P J Abdul Kalam, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, Indian Cricket team captain Rahul Dravid, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Azim Premji of Wipro, Dalai Lama, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Shabana Azmi, Amitabh Bachchan, political leaders A B Vajpayee, Sonia Gandhi, author Vikram Sheth, singer Jagjit Singh, police officer Kiran Bedi and 94 other prominent Indians expressing solidarity with CRY and its goals.

Avanti Maluste and Sudeep Joshi who put the book together over a two-year period said 'A Poem for CRY' as a creative and lasting medium to take the issue of child rights to wider social groups.

Ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh recited his favourite poem and Sachin Tendulkar's 11-year-old daughter Sara read out a poem called 'Sachin' chosen by her father penned by her late grandfather, all part of the collection of the book.

Commenting on the book Amitabh Bachchan said, ''The single message - Child Rights is not just the purview of the development sector. It is a responsibility for each one of us - no matter who we are and what we do. It strongly advocates CRY's conviction that change is possible when people come together for a common objective. To leave behind century old biases like those of caste and gender and get involve in the governance of our nation.'' CEO Ingrid Srinath said, ''Poetry has the power to express thoughts and emotions that range from the sublime to the revolutionary. CRY nurtures the dream that every Indian child can and should attain, not only their fundamental rights but to the realm of imagination and creativity this book represents.''