88 JUNE - JULY 2019
INDOOR PLAY AREA AT JOKAI, MUMBAI
Tell us about any of your unique,
out-of-the-box designs.
Most of our concepts are just collated from
our memories. Our coloured, life-size lollipops
are quite popular, and have been inspired
by our childhood. Kids usually like wearing
sunglasses with different-coloured lenses,
or holding up coloured cellophane sheets to
their eyes, fascinated by the changing hues of
their surroundings. So, in a similar way, these
lollipops allow the children to rotate their
screens and see the playground in different
colours. It’s really about digging out those little
moments of happiness we felt and working
with them to create play elements. The thing
about designing for kids is that you can almost
never predict how they will react. I think that
we could learn a lot by just watching children at
play and seeing the scope of their imaginations.Where have you found a high standard of
design in outdoor spaces for kids? Where
do you think Indian cities fall short?
Austria (where Aditi went for what she calls
a ‘playground pilgrimage’, visiting three cities
over a week and closely observing the play
areas there). What was really great was that
each playground had different elements.
While there were some common play areas,
each space offered the children something
new to look forward to. Another importantaspect was how child-friendly the city was.
Apart from great parks and pockets where
kids can play freely, most European cities give
a lot of importance to pedestrians and public
transport. Wide pavements allow children
to walk to school safely or let mothers with
babies walk to the supermarket, and public
transport services allow baby strollers to get on
easily. These small things make the most
difference and make a city much safer and
healthier for children.
In India, we really need to start thinking
of cities for children. If we factor them into
our designs, it would also be much safer for
the elderly and people with special needs as
well. If a baby stroller can get onto a bus, so
can a wheelchair or a senior citizen who needs
assistance. Child-friendly cities are essentially
human-friendly cities. Play areas are also
public spaces, which need to be designed for
everyone and not just children. So it’s really a
matter of priority, to think about whether we
want car-friendly or human-friendly cities.What is your long-term vision
for Gudgudee?
We see ourselves creating larger child-friendly
spaces and cities. We envision becoming
a global brand in designing play areas, and
we would like to be known as makers of fun
playgrounds that are inclusive.