Bharat is a nation with 40 crore children below the age of 15. These children are not just our future citizens, they are the true architects of tomorrow’s Bharat. It is our collective responsibility to offer them the best of values, stories, and inspirations, for they are the real treasure of our nation.
One of the most powerful forces shaping children today is entertainment driven by modern technology. While we cannot stop technology or entertainment from reaching them, we can and must ensure they are exposed to the right kind i.e Dharmic entertainment.
Children love entertainment. Today, it reaches them through films, web series, TV reality shows, mobile games, YouTube, shorts, reels, AI-generated content, and much more. These platforms are not just tools, but they are powerful instruments in shaping the young minds. It is our duty to infuse these instruments with Dharmic content that reflects Sanatana Dharma, our culture, traditions, and glorious heritage.
But what is Dharmic entertainment?
It is content that teaches the essence of Sanatana Dharma, the stories of Bharat’s ancient wisdom, epics, scriptures, rishis, yogis, devotees, warriors, kings, queens, gurus, and more. It reflects our values, heroism, spirituality, moral lessons, and the great legacy of our civilization. This is the kind of content that every child in Bharat must see, experience, and grow up with not by force, but by abundance.
Dharmic content must overflow into films, OTT platforms, TV channels, radios, the internet, YouTube, and AI-based media. If we do not act now, the opportunity may slip away and we will lose the right to expect our children to become good citizens or noble human beings.
This idea is not new. Every nation across the world strives to entertain its children with cultural, traditional, and moral content. For example popular shows like Doremon, Masha & the Bear are the cultural ambassadors to promote the soft power of the respective countries Japan and Russia. promoting their respective countries’ images and fostering positive international perceptions through their widespread popularity and appeal. This soft power influence can translate into deeper cultural understanding, stronger diplomatic ties, and even economic benefits. Bharat with wide spectrum of cultural diversity should have done the same by now, which is of great importance in current global scenario.
Even in ancient Bharat, children were nurtured through plays, folk arts, spiritual stories, and the teachings of elders and family priests. Education through entertainment and entertainment through education was a living tradition. We all know how influential the Ramayan and Mahabharat TV series were on the children of the 1980s and 1990s, and how deeply they influenced society.
However, in the past 100–150 years, Bharat has suffered a cultural erosion due to internal and external forces. Now is the time to reignite the flame to restore our cultural pride and identity in the hearts and minds of our children. Currently we have nearly 90% of kids content is imported from the west and other countries while only 10% is home grown. Coming to the networks, we hardly have any dedicated platforms like TV channels or OTTs for desi Kids, a gap that deserves attention from governments as well as entrepreneurs.
We must wield the most powerful Dharmic entertainment as tool of our times. Children must first be taught about their nation, history, culture, and timeless traditions. Only then will they develop a deep love and pride for their motherland, which is the very foundation for becoming good human beings and responsible citizens. Such citizens will not only contribute positively to society but will also strive to uphold and serve the nation with sincerity and purpose.
On the other hand, children who grow up disconnected from their roots often risk becoming self-centered and indifferent, lacking a sense of responsibility towards society and country.
Bharat is a land of stories and infact we don’t need to invent super heroes but we already have the Avatars. Stories from Panchatantra, Tenali Ramakrishna tales, Vikram–Betal stories, tales of Raja Bhoj, Paramanandayya Shishyulu and many more.
We need tall figures of great character and composure to adulate for our children and ShriRama,Sita Maatha, Durga Maatha, ShriKrishna,Hanuman, Vinayaka, Karthikeya, Garuthmantha, Narasimha, and Parashurama to countless rishis, yogis, warriors, and saints, Bharat’s epics are filled with real heroes who embody strength, virtue, and dharma.
All we need to do is retell their stories, with heart, pride, and relevance for today’s generation. We all know how Maa Jijiabai inspired his son through the inspirational stories to become what we know as Chathrapathi Shivaji Maharaj.
We are one of the largest consumers of digital content that offers us great economic value for this content like no other place in the world. No just the digital content, but we can explore further to licensing, branding, toys and other merchandise from these characters. As our Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji calls it “Orange economy_ Creative Economy”, there is huge opportunity to explore.
Every parent, every teacher, and every citizen has a role to play. And it is time the Government of Bharat takes this seriously and declares it a national goal. Just as we have the Right to Education and Right to Information, we must now introduce the Right to Dharmic Entertainment for Children.
Only then can we ensure that every child in Bharat grows up rooted, proud, inspired, and ready to build a resurgent, glorious Bharat.
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