‘Give us playgrounds. We want to play!’

Sometimes I think about children who live on the outskirts of Dhaka and outside the capital, and a feeling of deprivation washes over me.

Abu Hasan Nahian
Published : 24 Oct 2022, 09:03 PM
Updated : 24 Oct 2022, 09:03 PM

Recreation has always mattered to individuals. It is an integral part of people’s daily experience and has influenced their outlooks on and understandings of the world they live in. And the importance of recreation is beyond debate when it comes to proper development of children’s mental health. But alas! There are so few recreation centres in Dhaka.

Nowadays large shopping centres have indoor amusement parks inside, but those are only accessible for children who come from wealthy backgrounds. These spaces are an elusive dream for children who come from low-income families. Personally, I do not even know if these indoor games have any positive effect on the development of children.

I recently learnt from reports published in the media that 67% of children do not have access to a playground which is within walking distance from their house. Moreover, 95% of the schools in Dhaka do not have playgrounds within their compound.

Sometimes these frustrations get to me. I have an urge to walk up to the policy makers of our country and ask them about their childhood. I want to know whether they spent a lot of time locked up in cages like we do, or did they actually have the luxury to swim in the rivers, chase dragonflies across a field and breathe in fresh air.

Is it just us who are deprived of playgrounds, which is supposed to be a basic right for children of this country? Is it even fair that we don’t get to be closer to the greeneries of our beautiful Bengal?

Who do I blame? Who do I ask for a clarification, or a solution? I do not know.

Sometimes I think about children who live on the outskirts of Dhaka and outside the capital, and a feeling of deprivation washes over me. How free could their childhood be and how much greeneries could they see! Here I am, stuck in the cages of this concrete jungle.

There is no place for us to even breathe in this city, and I strongly feel our families and schools have an important role to play here.

Parents should find time to take their children to villages close by in Dhaka for a day, or maybe to holiday for a few days in the mountains or the sea. As a child, I wholeheartedly believe that small breaks from the city will bring us inner peace.

Schools and other educational institutions should arrange study tours more frequently. Not only will this be a form of entertainment for the children of our generation, but it will also play a part in our mental development.

Reporter's Age: 17 District: Dhaka