An inspiring playroom upgrade gives the children at Bandra’s Ashray Shelter Home a tactile, learning and playing space fit for the new age
The exterior walls of the playroom carry the names of the children at the shelter home. The corridor alongside doubles up as a hopscotch playground. Pics/Atul Kamble
It is a hubbub of giggles and laughter as we pass through the almost nondescript gates of the Ashray Committed Community Development Trust (CCDT) Shelter Home. Situated in the heritage structure of the Old Petit Bungalow, the shelter home has been a safe space for vulnerable and orphaned children, including those afflicted by HIV. But this is no stereotypical shelter home.
“Why should these children have to do with less than mine or yours?” asks architect Apoorva Shroff. During her growing-up years, Shroff’s parents would often bring her to the same shelter home to celebrate her birthday. The new space designed by Shroff, is a return gift for those precious moments. “I did not want to go down the convenient route of donating money as charity. I reached out to them, and asked if there was something I could contribute to, personally. That’s when this idea came about,” she reveals.
The children contributed to the design by putting their imprints on the hopscotch mats
The playhouse was once a dilapidated warehouse filled with discarded material. Seeing how the children often stuck indoors in the monsoon, Shroff decided to turn the warehouse into something that might keep them occupied. “As a designer, I reached out to friends in the industry to pitch in with materials; from laminates to woods to decorative elements,” she reveals. After six months, the space now resembles a playhouse to envy. The walls are packed with cosy hexagonal cubby holes for the children. We also spotted a rope ladder leading up to the higher spaces — tried-and-tested for safety, we are informed. Even the tables and chairs are shaped to resemble jigsaw puzzle pieces that can be put together to make a common table. Another special touch is a tactile LEGO board — a personal favourite of Shroff’s — that has already caught the children’s attention, and volunteers as well.
A tactile LEGO wall offers children a creative outlet for their interactions
Yet, it is the personal touches around the structure that catches our eye. An elegantly manicured lawn featuring hopscotch lines, with outlines of hands and feet marked out by the children themselves. “We wanted to make them feel at home. We also painted their names across the walls of the exterior, so they can recognise it as their own,” the architect adds.
The hexagonal shapes of the reading spaces also allow children to interact by climbing or moving around them
Such development is not surprising. “It is part of our holistic child care development, and it is a programme developed and run in collaboration with the Maharashtra State Government. Even our alumni often return and contribute to help. The effort is to always make the children feel loved, and at home,” Sukanya Poddar, managing trustee informs us. After all, they deserve as much joy as the world has to offer.
Apoorva Shroff
At Ashray CCDT, Old Petit Bungalow, Waterfield Road, Bandra West.
Call 8657898537
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