Where will our kids play?

Lack of open spaces for young ones to run around and soak in the outdoors is an increasing concern in a city, one that will only get more worrisome in the new normal

Last week, I had an epiphany. It wasn’t one of Biblical proportions. But, it did drive home a few harsh realities about the city we live in, and what we can [or cannot, in this case] offer our children who are growing up here.

I was at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMV; formerly Prince of Wales Museum) for a walkthrough of their new exhibition a day before the museum was to reopen after nearly a year. The glass walled structure designed by Rahul Mehrotra and his team that houses the children’s museum within the site, is the ultimate example of nature and structure being in full synchronicity. It reminded me of an oasis in the middle of buzzing Bombay. A robust tree within its interiors seamlessly offers a slice of nature, as sunshine and foliage play a game of hide-and-seek. The exhibition is a meticulously documented timeline of man’s age-old connection with nature. The displays were a delightful exploration, and by the end of it, I could safely vouch for the fact that even the not-so-young visitor will be sufficiently intrigued. Outside, the vast lawns were being given their final manicure. During our time there we also learnt that these swathes of green would actually be open to visitors to make an outing of their time at the museum. After being cooped up in their homes for so long, the museum authorities felt they could offer some much-needed fresh air and downtime in the outdoors.

It was a novel idea we felt, one that augurs well for space-starved Bombaywallahs. Imagine having a leisurely Sunday brunch as kids run around freely, under the gaze of the stoic baobab tree, while chirping birds and the odd squirrel go about their daily routines. In such a huge space, physical distancing would be easily possible, and with staggered numbers of small groups being allowed in at any given time, everyone can feel positively safe.

It got us thinking. In the new normal, where are all the spaces in the city and suburbs for our kids to play? We could count them on the fingers of one hand. And that isn’t a good sign. Most really large open spaces are scattered across locations like Shivaji Park or Oval Maidan; and these, too, are filled with cricket or football matches. So, where does a typical family residing in say, Chembur or Malad, take their kids out for a truly outdoorsy time on a Sunday evening? Juhu Beach? Rani Baug? Sanjay Gandhi National Park? Try racking your brain, and you won’t get too far beyond these few usual suspects. There are public gardens but these tend to get packed in any case with people of all ages. While some new complexes in the suburbs [better known as ‘gated communities’] boast of all kinds of options for children to have a ball under the open skies, not every little one is lucky or blessed, especially in a vertically developed city like ours. Can you think of new open spaces for children that opened in the last decade? You are most likely to draw a blank. It doesn’t help if you were to run a comparative check with other metros. Delhi and Chennai are miles ahead, while the maidans and countless makeshift football grounds are a godsend for Kolkata’s kids.

This brings us back to Bombay’s bachchas. To make matters worse, the pandemic and lockdown has messed with their daily routines; their days are slotted into endless hours of screen time with different gadgets. Who needs to head to the nearest ground for a game of football with the gang when you can play it on your handphone or tablet? And this lack of open spaces makes this problem an even bigger one. Why step out into a playground that’s nearly as packed as peak hour rush on the Dadar railway station bridge in the new normal?

It’s an eventuality that stares us in the face. What are we offering our children when it comes to open spaces to just be, well, children? It is something that our urban planners need to raise soon, and nudge civic authorities to ensure we can offer better solutions in the future. Because, while it might sound like a negligent request that affects a fraction of our population, it is, squarely put, an investment for the future of Generation Next.

That frame of a happy family chilling out on the lawns of CSMVS needs to be replicated across the city and its suburbs. We owe it to our kids; it should, after all, remain an important part of their wonder years.

mid-day’s Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city’s sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana. Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!