Cultures of play: A new book looks at how children play in the city

MUMBAI: “When I was a child, we would play in the spaces in corridors, foyers and between buildings,” said architect Anuj Daga, speaking of his neighbourhood in Goregaon East. “But gradually, buildings started opting for boundary walls, splintering the space available for play, and restricting the space, the kind of play that is possible, and the kind of kids that come together to play.”

Today, Daga’s nephew is taken to the mall’s play area on the occasional Sunday, demonstrating the tectonic shift that residential pockets in Mumbai have gone through in five decades. “With the diminishing of such public spaces and the rise of gated communities with parks within, play has become restricted within social classes and has become more internalised,” said Daga.

Examining the cultures of play in Mumbai is a new book, Cult of Play, to be launched on March 27 at Max Mueller Bhavan. A compendium of essays by urban planners and architects, the book is edited by architects Martina Maria Spies and Pritika Akhil Kumar and has essays by Amita Bhide, Akhtar Chauhan, the aforementioned Daga and more.

The book started with a 2017 study done by Spies’ organisation Anukruti, of how play unfolds in slums or informal settlements. “We looked at how children were playing in Juhu Koliwada, Dharavi and Khar Danda,” explained Spies. “What we found is that children here are incredibly creative in their play. In contrast, formal spaces offer established and clear modes of how to play.”

Children using wooden sticks as cricket bats, playing made-up games with stones, and playing with debris and abandoned furniture were some instances Spies and her team came across. In Dharavi, a clearing near a mosque and shops made it a safe space for play, with kids bringing in toy cars tied to strings, cycles, bats and balls. Fusion games called fooricket or crickball were witnessed at Juhu Koliwada.

A gender disparity became apparent, with boys playing freely while girls, burdened with house work, picked a corner of their home or galli to huddle in. “Girls are more invisible at these places of play,” said Spies.

Her team held workshops in the informal settlements, teasing out from children what they would like in their playgrounds. “They drew, painted and even made models of the kinds of equipment they would like,” said Spies. “Using their desires, we have come up with certain design tools that can be incorporated in play, making sure they are flexible, easy to maintain and mobile. One of them is a trampoline that can transform into a climbing wall.”

Spies said that slums did have spaces that could be transformed for play, as they found several out-of-use spaces during their study. But transforming them would require greater community intervention and continued maintenance.

In 2019, Chennai-based architect Pritika Kumar came on board for the book. “We have essays by 24 authors looking at play in Mumbai from different angles,” she said, “How Covid-19 impacted it, creative public spaces like the Steps in Bandra, how the tribal Warlis in the national park play around in Nature. Play is very important for children’s cognitive development. It is where children learn by instinct and not through formal instruction.”

Spies added, “Play is a medium of learning; it is where children make the best memories. It is necessary psychologically, helping children form friendships and bonds.”

Published by the People Place Project, the proceeds from the book’s sales will go towards Anukruti’s work on play spaces.