The Letter: As UP schools shut for summer amid a brutal heatwave, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath did something unexpected — he wrote a personal letter to the children of the state. Warm, direct and surprisingly emotional, the letter urged kids to step away from mobile screens and treat these weeks as a real opportunity. Not just rest, he said, but discovery. The letter has since resonated deeply with parents and children across the state.

Beyond The Textbook: Yogi’s advice to children was refreshingly specific. Pick up a paintbrush. Learn three chords on a guitar. Point a camera at something beautiful. The CM urged children to use the holidays to explore creative pursuits — painting, music, photography — arguing that hobbies don’t distract from a child’s future, they reveal it. Identifying a hidden talent early, he said, can shape an entire life.

Go To Dadi’s House: In perhaps the most tender part of his letter, Yogi urged parents to send children to their grandparents — both maternal and paternal — during the break. In the rush of modern life, he wrote, children are drifting from their elders. Grandparents offer something no school can: selfless love, family stories, folk traditions and a living connection to roots that quietly shape character long after the holidays end.

Into The Wild: The CM turned travel guide, pointing children toward three of UP’s most stunning natural destinations — Dudhwa National Park in Lakhimpur Kheri, the serene Chuka Beach in Pilibhit, and Katarnia Ghat in Bahraich. These aren’t just picnic spots, Yogi said. Watching wildlife move through a forest, or seeing a river bend at dusk, changes how a child sees the world — and their place in it.

Plant One Tree: Yogi gave every child in UP a single, concrete task: plant one tree this summer. Care for it. Watch it grow. The simplicity of the ask was deliberate — not a campaign, not a slogan, just one child, one sapling, one act of ownership over the environment. Multiplied across millions of children, he said, even that small gesture becomes something the state will feel for decades.

A Plastic-Free Holiday: The final appeal in Yogi’s letter was also its most urgent. He asked children — and through them, their families — to make this holiday season completely plastic-free. Carry cloth bags. Use jute when you travel. Leave no litter at the beautiful places you visit. It was a quiet but pointed reminder: the same children being asked to love UP’s forests and rivers are also responsible for protecting them.