Mini Mathew, Bandra resident, a concerned parent and active citizen has a question to ask anyone who is willing to listen. "Who has the right to make a public space, private?" She's referring to a neighbourhood playground at Bandra Reclamation, that was once open to all, but is now a place where rules aren't meant to be broken. The ground beside the Mumbai Education Trust (MET), near Lilavati Hospital used to be an open public playground. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) handed it over to the MET for maintenance. Open all day, to everyone across age, and socio-economic divides, it was a haunt for kids playing volleyball, local cricket teams who arrived for an evening practice session, slum kids beating each other at marbles, even pets.

Who makes public space private?

Under MET's maintenance, the ground is now encased by a high wall, a signboard the size of a billboard listing rules that decided when you play, where (skating and sitting are allowed only  on Court 2) and with who and how (pets, bicycles, tricycles aren't allowed). MET has constructed a tennis court, skating rink, and a cricket pitch that's accessible to everyone, though. "The wall was built because anti-social elements used to roam free. Youngsters were doing drugs," says Sunil Karve, founder trustee and vice chairman, MET. "We don't intend on levying an entry charge. The facilities here can be used by residents of the area, as well as our students," he says.

In fact, MET invited the Arun Kumar Vaidya Rahiwashi Sangh, a local residents' association to be part of a committee that will take care of the playground.

A playground where you have to fit in

Kishore U Gajbhiye, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, West Ward says, "Yes, the playground has been given over to MET for maintenance and upkeep. But according to the agreement, MET cannot charge money for entering the park. It's open to everyone."

But Mini is hardly convinced. "How can the BMC grant the ground to MET, a private institution, which in turn invites the Rahiwashi to join in? MET has originally been a member of Rahiwashi, so members are obviously going to be on their side. It all seems a bit too planned," says Mini, a lawyer who's vowed to fight attempts at turning the space into an elitist recreation space where underprivileged and middle class kids have to struggle to fit in.

A playground where you have to fit in

What Mini and parents around Mumbai are lamenting is the loss of a shared public space that doesn't charge you to relax on a bench, or take permission before you play kho-kho. It's a space that isn't shackled by timings decided by a security guard's shift. You can't enter before 6 am, or after 12 noon. You can sit on the grass only in a designated patch. Once a park is "beautified", with a spanking new jogging track, tennis court, maybe even a skating area, there is possibility that you will be charged to use the amenities. If that marginalises the slum kids, maybe even some middle class children, so be it. What is left is a park where the fortunate play.

It's an epidemic across Mumbai's suburbs

Homemaker Hema Shankar is worried her 11 year-old daughter Nandini, isn't getting enough fresh air and exercise. Their Juhu neighbourhood lacks playgrounds, so Nandini has to make do with playing Hopskotch with her friends in the building complex, often weaving around cars in the parking lot during a round of Catching Cook. "It's hardly a replacement for the joy of playing in an open green space. parents today are enrolling kids in multiples classes. Skating, after swimming, then painting, next karate. The routine ends up making playing a chore," she says.

The story isn't very different in Borivli, where Mamta Patil  has to travel for half an hour every evening to make sure her three year-old son Kavish, can get to a playground. "The city's administrators must realise that not everyone can cough up money for recreation. It's not fair. How many middle class parents can afford hefty fees for basketball and tennis classes?"

Privatisation leads to restricted access

Like the Urban Design Research Institute audit of public open spaces in Mumbai (2007) reveals, there are several locations where the perception of open space exists, but due to privatisation, it's accessible to a few. Filmmaker and Juhu resident Ashok Pandit tells the tale of an open space opposite Vidyanidhi School in Juhu Scheme, that was a used by the school students the residents to plant 1,300 trees. "Later, the BMC handed over charge to Ronson Foundation, a private institution that got an approval to build a club over that area, and went ahead and chopped off over a 1,000 of those trees," says Pandit. The residents here dragged the party to court. Construction has been stalled for the time being, he says.

Fewer open spaces, greater the risk of obesity striking your kid

When a metropolis' open spaces shrink, it automatically cuts down on a kid's playing out options. Lack of physical exercise, makes them prone to illnesses, including obesity. Paediatrician Bhupendra S Awasthi, Consultant at Lilavati Hospital says, the city is making it impossible for parents to provide playing opportunities for their kids. "Most parents think they have the means, so, they will enrol the kid at a class. That's not easy in Mumbai, either. You have to find a place that suits your needs and budget, see if it's close to your residence, and finally, whether they have space to accommodate your child."

Dr Awasthi's kids, who are now all grown up, belong to a generation that replaced playgrounds with computers. "Most kids today are glued to television and computers. It's a classic reason why you see so many kids today who are overweight, or sport spectacles."

The Indian child's right brain is dead
Supriya Atal educationist

Parents need to be aware of the right-brain and left-brain concept. The right side of the brain is stimulated by outdoor activities, such as sports and an interaction with nature. Computers and other indoor games stimulate the left side of the brain, which decides our technical and analytical skills. In the West, a holistic approach is practised, where an effort is made to try and stimulate both sides of a child's brain. But in India, though unintentional, only the left-brain ends up being stimulated. If you want your kid to think out of the box, it needs to be let outdoors, in an open space of some kind.

Poor kids are told to scoot once rich kids trickle in

Gopal Moorthy, a consultancy project manager who lives in Sterling Court at MIDC Street, an Andheri (E) neighbourhood, is troubled. Every evening, he sees a group of underprivileged children watching the "fortunate" kids freak out in a playground, that was once open to everyone.

"There's a Rs 2 entry charge, and slum kids cannot afford to cough up the amount every day. They are allowed to play till about 5.30 pm, and are asked to scoot after that, when the rick kids start trickling in," he says. His eight year-old daughter Ananya is a regular at the park, but Gopal feels his conscience pinch him each time she sets out. "I see the poor children watching my daughter and her  friends play, through the garden railing. It's disturbing."

Mumbai can become Shanghai when it ups open space per person from 1.77sq. m to 11 sq. m

The Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI), Mumbai undertook a study to determine the state of open spaces in Mumbai, in 2007. According to Pankaj Joshi, executive director, UDRI, several spots in the city can be converted into playgrounds, or open spaces. This includes the land already allotted towards open space that's privatised so only the moneyed can enjoy it. If we compare Mumbai to Shanghai and New York, we fall way short on the open-space-per-person requirement meter.

Mumbai 1.77
square metre per person

Shanghai 11.00
square metre per person

New York 7.17
square metre per person (including Central Park)

The study found out that though the city planned for 28.40 square kilometer of public open spaces, the ground reality measures just 23.18 square kilometre.

There are a total of 3,106 spaces identified as open spaces, out of which 1,397, or 45% are either fully or partially occupied.

Here's what the UDRI discovered on their field visits:

>Spaces reserved as open spaces, had structures built on them.

>Other reservations includes open spaces, but these are not accessible to the public. Private commercial businesses such as restaurants, lounges or hotels are built on such spaces, limiting them to only those who can pay and afford these services.

>Influential occupiers for festival preparations are using open spaces.

>The reservations that are used as open spaces, are not maintained, and have piles of trash, limited hours of access and overused equipment.

Source: Mumbai Reader 2007, Urban Design Research Institute

UDRI recommends

>The city must augment the amount of open space and declare these open spaces as sacrosanct. These spaces need to be protected.

>Total custody of the open spaces should be given to the Individual Ward Office with the concerned Assistant Municipal Commissioner and Zonal Deputy Municipal Commissioner, who should be directly liable for preservation and maintenance of reserved open spaces. City's open spaces can increase if political will exists, and decision makers and administrators are held accountable for their actions.

>The public spaces should be secured physically as soon as possible, by a permanent fence, to prevent encroachment.

>A citizens group should adopt an open space.

Mumbai has:

489 gardens
390 playgrounds
5 public swimming pools
8 bandstands