This is child’s play!
By R. Suryamurthy

PAYAL, Preeti, Gurdeep are all busy, while the parents of these little ones wait outside. They are playing in the gigantic plastic playground which opened in the Capital, recently.

The country’s first indoor play station, Funkie Orbit, in South Delhi has caught the imagination of these children as never before in this concrete jungle.

Rashmi Sharma, who after years went on a shopping spree with her peace of mind intact, says: "Both my child and I enjoyed the experience. I could shop in a relaxed manner, sure that my daughter, Preeti, was in safe hands and was enjoying every moment of her stay."

"We don’t have any playground near our house. The one in the colony is small, crowded and big children play there. For these little children there is hardly any space," Rajindra Singh said.

The fun experienced by these little ones will not be restricted to the Capital as similar amusement play stations will be established in other metros soon.

The play station is the brain child of Shalini Chand, a resident of Singapore. She felt that children in India lacked play options that were just good, wholesome fun. She shared this opinion with her mother Taru Kanwar, who had seen the fun her grandsons had at play stations at overseas shopping markets.

Taru says: "With the joint family system breaking up and Indian families living as nuclear units, children miss out on the sheer pleasure of playing. They are either sitting before the TV or the computer. Most play parks in the country are totally mechanised where the children sit passively enjoying all the induced action. Funkie Orbit, in stark contrast, infuses spontaneity and imaginative skills in children."

Vippan Kapur, CEO, Panoramic Entertainment which has established this play station, says: "When a mother is busy shopping, she simply hands over her child to trustworthy rangers who take the child under their wings. We want to discuss this idea with big retail outlets all over India."

A multi-tiered play station, Funkie Orbit entertains over 200 children at a time. It offers a variety of play options for children from the age of two to twelve years. A ball pool for toddlers to bounce away in, vision adventure panels and sight and sound panels that stretch the senses; space age satellite communicators, radar receptors, aviators which help children to get lost in space, a fun forest to explore, a big ball pool and a mega slide — everything comes as a big treat for the children.

Crafted out of moulded plastic that is fire and break resistant coupled with flooring that softens the impact of falls, Funkie Orbit is a completely safe and comfortable indoor play zone.

Besides fun, Funkie Orbit’s lively cafe offers a host of child-oriented eats, an ice-cream parlour with oodles of variety and a cold and hot snacks station. There is a special theme room for a small, cosy birthday bash. And a package for schools which can look at Funkie Orbit as an excursion option.

"It is, in fact, a better outing than the zoo or the Rail Museum where the tiny tots have to contend with Delhi’s tempestuous weather," says Taru Kanwar.

Perceived ultimately as a hobby centre, Funkie Orbit also has a cyber cell which is educative for children and is a good pastime for escorts and parents who can surf the Net and sip a fine brew from the well-stocked coffee station, while their wards romp around.

About her growth plan, Taru said the company would look at strategic locations with an existing captive audience. "We would like to establish such play stations in large shopping malls and family entertainment centres ."

If the concept of an indoor amusement park catches on for these kids of the cyber age, they will have to play in the lush green grass fields only in virtual reality. Many say that playing in the open under the blue sky is a unique experience, worthy of being cherished. But then, so is the experience of these children. And, so the debate begins and continues.