Right to entertainment a basic child right: Nandita Das

Is the right to entertainment a fundamental child right? This is the issue that Childrens Film Society Of India (CFSI) seeks to address through the upcoming Golden Elephant Childrens Film Festival, to be held in Hyderabad from November 14 to 20, CFSI chairperson Nandita Das said. Talking to UNI here, Nandita, who announced the festival, being held by CFSI in partnership with UNICEF, here yesterday, said, ''We hope to discuss if the right to entertainment is a basic child right through the spaces the fest would create.'' About how receptive the teenagers were to genres like animation in todays times when they had access to the internet and reality shows, she said, ''Technically, they are very much children. As adults, we are constantly second guessing about the choices of children.'' On the issue of self-censorship, she said,''I believe self-censorship is necessary, but it is also extremely subjective. I may think reality shows and Internet videos are not correct for a child. But, children and even some parents may differ.'' Admitting there was not enough entertainment content produced in India for children, Nandita said, ''We are not dishing out enough content for our children. Most of it is from outside.'' ''In a scenario where we have limited options, we need to create enough alternatives. In fact, CFSI is in talks with schools who feel film studies could become a part of school curriculum,'' the CFSI chairperson said.

She said UNICEF and CFSI were trying to involve parents, educationists, NGOs in their initiatives. The CFSI-UNICEF partnership was launched on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Child Rights Convention (CRC).

-- (UNI) -- 05DI14.xml

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