#TGLife
We live in times where machines are making everything from work to play easy and efficient, and due to changing lifestyle, our physical activity has been reduced. This has happened even in the case of children who are seen engrossed in mobile phones rather than being out on playgrounds like they used to be before. But apart from mobiles and video games, there is another issue that needs urgent redressal: the lack of enough playgrounds for children, especially in dense urban areas. A number of closed play arenas have opened up in many cities, but such settings only serve to deprive children of natural elements like soil and fresh air
Glaring lack of playgrounds
 Kids between the age group of 0-6 years constitute around 29 percent of Indian population.
 According to a 2018 report, around 40 percent of schools in India do not have proper playgrounds.
 Among the states, Punjab was found to be the best with 98 percent schools having playgrounds, while Odisha was found to be the worst with only 33 percent of the state’s schools having playgrounds. The situation for open spaces is even more dire in metro cities, with reports stating that around 75 percent of schools in Mumbai do not have playgrounds.
 Right to Education Act 2009 made it mandatory for schools to have playgrounds, but the directive was changed in 2012 to make playgrounds no longer mandatory as long as schools made alternative arrangements for sports.
How natural play helps kids
 The idea of play is closely related to imagination, inventiveness, and that state of deep absorption psychologists call “flow.”
 Play relieves stress and boosts imagination, leading the children to be more creative as adults.
 Engaging in appropriate play activities is helpful for children to develop important skills needed for interacting with other people. It is also essential for learning effective approaches for dealing with challenges individuals face as they grow up.
I enjoyed playing on the ground with my friends in Sharada English High School, which had a ground. We didn’t have much homework and had time to play. As I grew up, I had to spend more time on studies. I remember it was in class VIII that I could play, last. With increasing responsibility of studies, playing outside in the open became a luxury. Also, as years passed on the number of grounds decreased too. Our Mashel village had six playgrounds five years ago but now only three are being used. For multiple reasons half of the grounds vanished. Some are being used for driving training, the others are being given to practice for clubs, some others are gone in development. There was a waste land in our neighbourhood, where we used to play which has become an upcoming construction site and soon a residential colony will stand there.
” Vinit Satyawan Naik, XI Science, S S Samiti Higher Sec. School, Kavalem
When it comes to town-planning, guidelines have been laid down stating that there should be enough open spaces in cities. Whether concerned authorities follow those guidelines is a point of concern because we do see a lot of construction activity coming up in places that used to be playgrounds before.
” Shreyas Jadhav, architect, Panaji
It is a vicious circle. We can’t blame that children cannot play because there are no grounds. With the advancement of technology today’s children got engaged in gadgets and their physical activity reduced. So there still were playgrounds but no children to play. This has benefited the developers.
” Naguesh R Sardessai, art teacher, Government High School, Vasco
