We are sacrificing children's playgrounds in the name of development
In April this year, the traffic department in Mumbai sought 22 maidans from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to develop pay-and-park facilities. The 22 grounds, most of them popular with children and senior citizens, together cover over 50 acres.
This is not the first time that play spaces have been sacrificed in the name of development – whether it is parking lots, malls, or metros. And it’s not Mumbai alone. Other cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Cochin have also had playgrounds routinely snatched away from children. The question is: where do the children go?
Mumbai-based photojournalist MS Gopal has documented an interesting project exploring how children are clinging on to the smallest play spaces, even inventing new ones to hold on to what seems like a basic right. To play.
One of the strongest impulses of children is to play. Children play everywhere – in their homes, neighbourhood and schools. Even in very difficult circumstances – in poverty, in war, floods, post-terror attacks, extreme weather – children can be seen playing. They are happiest and at their most vital and energetic when they play.
Importance of play
Play is the child’s way of making sense of the world – a learning tool that engages, motivates, challenges and pleases. Children also play their way to learning. They are born with an innate drive to learn – they want to be seen as smart, intelligent and capable people who can do things, who know things and who are well connected with family and friends.
Play gives them an opportunity to demonstrate all that they have observed and learned about the real world and at the same time the opportunity to experiment with how they can make that learning useful in their own world.
Play is considered so important to a child’s development that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) has established it as every child’s right.
Many organisations such as Sesame Workshop in India and the Lego Foundation have made play a core part of their work: exploring it, advocating it – in classrooms, communities and homes. Especially in low resourced households, educating parents on the importance of play is critical to ensure continued development of children.
Early childhood and play
The first five years of the child’s life are extremely important in brain development, as per the latest research in neuroscience. It is during this time that the brain makes multiple and complicated neuron connections that in many ways decide our future ability to learn, achieve and be happy.
Play helps the brain to make these connections because it allows room for the imagination as children engage in new experiences, activities and relationships on an ongoing basis.
Pretend play, imaginative play, playing with objects, physical play are all play forms that are essential for a kid to develop their various senses, and motor skills. It further teaches them important and valuable life skills such as taking turns, conflict resolution, following instructions, etc.
Author and journalist Lalita Iyer reports from a survey at mommygolightly.com, her hugely followed parenting blog, that parents are struggling with finding adequate play spaces for the kids and most of them have resigned to using patches in their apartment blocks for play since there is a general lack of playgrounds.
Vidya Raja, who lives in Gurgaon, also believes that it is extremely important that kids get enough play time and that play time MUST be outdoors. Her boys play in the apartment park, but she has several friends who are fighting with their building association to allow kids to use the green area to play. “Apparently the green area in newer buildings is only for show and kids playing there will spoil it.” Priyanka Shetty, who lives in Mumbai, has two-year-old twin boys who go to the society garden every morning and evening to play. “Every few weeks, we try to take them to new public parks for new experience and surroundings. But the options around are limited,” she says.
Having lived in Army cantonments all her life, Lara Bains was used to her kids playing all the time and being outdoorsy. “There was a certain sense of security there... you know your kids are safe. I always wanted my kids to play more and study less,” she says.
But their recent move to the civil street in Chandigarh has left her a tad wary. “I don't see kids here playing outdoorsy games. They are all stuck to their gadgets and parents don't really insist their kids get a bit of sunshine and some healthy play time. Here people don't allow boys and girls to mix around, which is dumb.”
Her older child is grown up now but her younger one misses her playtime with her friends sorely, which is sad. “I take her out to the pool now instead,” she says with a sense of resignation.
Snigdha Sheel has two kids; the older one was born in Bangalore where they had the luxury of a kid's play area in Jalvayu Vihar. They had a sand pit, swings and designated areas for smaller kids and bigger kids.
“When we moved to Delhi, we wanted to live in a group housing society because these usually have a safe play area. Unfortunately, for the past two years or so, the new management has encroached upon the kid's play area and built a temple on it. They have not designated an alternate space. So though both my kids go out every day to play, they have no playground where they can run on the grass or mud. Playing is extremely essential for kids because that is what my childhood memory is made up of. You roll in dirt, you run with friends, you jump in a muddy pool, you pluck mangoes from the neighbour's tree... it’s a huge school out there, in the open," she says.
While choosing a home post having a child, play areas are a crucial factor. Doorva Bahugana says, “We chose apartment societies keeping in mind large play areas. Even in Bombay, instead of Bandra where we would have loved to live, we picked Lower Parel as their new apartment blocks had huge gated play areas. And finally we moved back to Gurgaon because her school did not have open areas or sporting facilities.”
Josceline Anne Mascarenhas, who moved to Salt Lake city, Utah, from Mumbai when her first child was born, says: “By virtue of moving across continents to a country that socially places a premium on sports over grades - we probably have ended up providing them more access to open spaces and play areas than they would have enjoyed back home.”
She considers play as extremely important. “I have a five-year-old and a 20-month-old. Moving their bodies and getting a sense of control gives them a lot of confidence. They learn to share and take turns. They take risks (the twisting slides, trying out monkey bars, climbing trees). They need strong bodies to house strong minds. They need to get their essential gross motor skills (throwing a ball, skipping, jumping from a height, cycling, tumbling, climbing, lifting, etc.) and social skills (sharing, respect, how to act when angry, listening, helping) sorted along with the fine motor and academic skills.”
We all have to do our bit in making sure play always continues for children, no matter what. Especially in the current scenario of diminishing playgrounds all around us ringing true the words of Joni Mitchell:
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
'Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot.