May 20: Playgrounds are a natural part of childhood, but unfortunately, the children of the city have been deprived of this basis facility due to lack of open spaces. Nupur Kala Niketan has come up with an interesting way of creating awareness among the children as well as elders about the significance of having playgrounds. The aim is to stress the need for sports and other games for the well-rounded development of a child.

Kala Niketan will organise a series of drawing competitions on the subject of sports and the need for playgrounds from Monday onwards.

The theme was conceived by a Class IV student, Priyamraj. His sketch of an open playground with the message Who Will Give Us a Ground Like This? Our Parents? God? or the State Government? Was, however, not considered worthy of publication in a newspaper.

Disappointed and discouraged, Priyamraj, along with his friends Kakali, Gargi, Panchali, Babu, Madhurjya and Bitupan thought of launching the campaign in the form of a drawing competition. It will be organised by their art school.

“The children feel claustrophobic. They feel the need for playgrounds,” said J. Das, one of the organisers. Children want to go out and play in the evening but sadly, they don’t have the opportunity. This not only hampers their health but also their mental well-being.

The first contest of the series will be held at 9 am on Monday at a children’s park near the Aryapathsala School in Rehabari area. The venue and date for the following competitions will be declared on the occasion.

The contests will have three categories. Students from Classes I-IV will form Group A, Classes V-VII will comprise Group B and Classes VIII-X will form Group C. Each category will have a different theme.

The subject for Group A is the issue of open playground. In Group B, children will have to draw their school playground and various sporting activities in their school, while Group C will be asked to draw a procession by children demanding a playground.

The issue is very pertinent because most educational institutions do not have their own playgrounds. The few open spaces left in the city are often used for political meetings and commercial activities.

“The theme of the competition has been disclosed beforehand so that the contestants can prepare themselves. There are children here who have rarely seen a proper playground,” one of the organisers said.

The top three contestants in each group will be given mementoes. Children can register at the Aryapathsala School in Rehabari tomorrow and on Sunday.