Summer vacations aren't what they used to be. The playground has moved from neighbourhood parks to phone screens, and reels now compete with cricket, cycling and endless outdoor fun with friends.
To understand how childhood holidays have changed, My Kolkata spoke to parents across the city. Their verdict? Between soaring temperatures, holiday homework and digital entertainment, today's children are spending far more time indoors than the generations that grew up on mango trees and muddy fields.
From cousins under one roof to friends on one screen
All pictures: Sourced by the correspondent
“I grew up in a joint family, so summers were always bustling with cousins, neighbourhood adventures and even the occasional mango raid. We also looked forward to Chhuti Chhuti every morning. My son, Rudransha, is in Class XI, and his holidays are dominated by studies, online chats and web series. I know he is making memories in his own way, but it feels lonelier. That's why I encourage him to cycle with friends every Sunday because face-to-face interactions and human connections are far more valuable than we often realise.”
— Sucharita Banerjee, 41, homemaker
Less mud on the feet, more screen time on the schedule
“My summer vacations were spent at my aunt’s village near Basirhat, surrounded by nature. We ate mangoes straight from the trees, swam in ponds and ran through paddy fields. My husband, Pushpendu, remembers cricket matches, chaotic games of hide-and-seek and stealing neighbours’ pickles. Our son, Prajit, prefers family trips, hotel stays, swimming pools and PlayStation games. While our holidays were defined by freedom and the outdoors, his revolve around comfort and technology.”
— Sanjana Chakraborty, 41, self-employed
From ponds and playgrounds to phone calls and projects
“Growing up in Shyamchak, my vacations were spent swimming in ponds, catching fish, playing cricket and wandering through fields. My daughter, Teeasha, spends most of her holidays doing projects, holiday homework and exam preparation. She meets friends only occasionally and often stays connected through long phone calls. There are also fewer open spaces for children today. Sometimes I feel her generation will never know the simple joys of spending entire days outdoors with friends and nature.”
— Debanjali Gupta, 48, associate professor
A break interrupted by timetables, tuitions and homework
“Summer vacations meant constant activity for us. I had sleepovers at my best friend’s house and spent carefree days with my cousins at my aunt’s place. My daughter, Adrija, has a very different routine. She enjoys sleeping in, but much of her holiday is shaped by academic commitments, tuition classes and studies. Unlike us, she mostly socialises online.”
— Indrani Pal, 40, sari retailer
We played in the sun; children now hide from it
“When we were young, Kolkata's summers were far less intense. I spent entire days outdoors playing football, gulli danda, hide-and-seek and other games. There was little academic pressure, and vacations truly felt like a break. My son, Ahenjeet, studies in an ICSE school. So, much of his holiday revolves around studies. The extreme heat also keeps him indoors. As an only child, he spends a lot of time on his own, watching cartoons and enjoying home-cooked treats.”
— Siddartha Ganguly, 43, finance executive
No more annual cousin conventions
"My summer vacations were all about enjoying with my extended family and spending time outdoors. But my daughter, Tanisha, rarely gets that opportunity because of her studies. I feel that children today often miss out on the joy of the outdoors, face greater pressure, and are more exposed to digital distractions and online addictions."
— Ranjita Sarkar, 38, entrepreneur
Summer once came without notifications
“My son Ishaan’s summer holidays revolve around screens, tuitions, projects and carefully scheduled activities. My summers were about climbing mango trees, flying kites, playing hide-and-seek during power cuts and watching television with friends. We studied too, but vacations felt like uninterrupted happiness. No phones, no Wi-Fi — just freedom.”
— Anik Ghosh, 45, software developer
Kids no longer knock on doors; they send DMs
“My summer vacations were much simpler. I spent them visiting relatives, devouring books and playing endlessly with friends outdoors. My son, Abhronil, does step out for a game of cricket but technology remains a constant companion. The friends are still there — only now they seem a little farther away.”
— Aparna Sarkar, 38, sales executive
Carefree then, competitive now
“Children today are far busier than we ever were. My son spends most of his summer studying and attending classes because it’s his board year. At his age, I spent entire vacations at my maternal uncle’s house in Murshidabad, carefree and unburdened, staying until Jamai Sashti and enjoying every moment.”
— Preeti Acharjee, 39, homemaker
From fireflies, candlelight and power cut memories to Wi-Fi and Instagram
“I spent summers at my grandparents’ home, reading books, playing outdoors and making the most of village life. Power cuts often turned into magical evenings on the rooftop, where my siblings and I played games by candlelight and watched fireflies. Today, my daughter, Anushka, spends her holidays attending online classes, watching videos and staying connected through social media. She also enjoys cafe-hopping and sharing photos online. The spirit of vacations remains, but the way children create memories has changed completely.”
— Priyanka Bose, 37, homemaker
Less sibling chaos, more scheduled holidays
“I grew up with four siblings, so summer vacations meant two months of non-stop fun. We played kabaddi, swam in ponds, collected mangoes and spent most of our days outdoors. My daughters, Deepti and Prapti, have much more structured holidays. They go on short trips, visit cousins and spend time on homework, projects and skill-building activities. Yet one thing hasn't changed — the excitement of hearing that school is closed.”
— Susanta Karmakar, 49, IT professional
The lost art of screen-free summer vacations
“In our childhood, summer vacations revolved around friendships, cricket, football, cycling and sharing raw mangoes with friends. My son, Srijan, enjoys playing video games on his laptop. He also spends time studying and he loves chatting with his grandmother. Today's children have more entertainment than we ever did, yet their worlds often seem smaller and less adventurous.”
— Shoubhik Banerjee, 43, solution architect
Hills, beaches and battery life
“For me, summer vacations meant packing my bags and heading to a relative’s house. My son prefers holidays that involve hills, beaches and destinations we rarely get to visit. But if we aren’t on a trip, much of his vacation is spent indoors, immersed in mobile games.”
— Moutushi Paul Chowdhury, 44, social worker
Uncle’s house still rules, albeit screens tag along
“As a child, I would spend part of my summer holidays at my maternal uncle’s house, and quite often the entire family would set off on a trip together. Today, my son, Sourodeep, follows a similar tradition. The only noticeable difference is that today’s children often stay glued to their devices, even while on vacation.”
Ramaniya Janah, 43, Homemaker
Where have all the summer games gone?
“We spent our summer vacations playing countless outdoor games, many of which children today have never even heard of. My son, Aronyak, rarely steps out in the summer heat. Instead, he spends his time studying, playing games on his phone and binge-watching series. Somewhere along the way, vacations seem to have lost a bit of their magic.”
— Tanuj Roy, 43, software developer
Mango heists are officially out of fashion
“Summer vacations were never just about football and cricket. They were also about daring raids on the neighbour’s mango tree and spending entire afternoons outdoors. My son, Anukram, has a very different idea of a holiday. Between studies and the comfort of air-conditioning, he is perfectly happy staying indoors.”
Ayan Kumar Payra, 44, insurance advisor