In a bid to cater to the needs of underprivileged children and provide them with the access to toys of their choice, the city will get at least 10 toy libraries in the New Delhi parliamentary constituency.
An initiative of parliamentarian Meenakshi Lekhi, in collaboration with the Toy Association of India, the move seeks to provide access to toys within the Indian education system and encourage children’s right to play.
Ms Lekhi announced that she plans to open more such libraries in schools, ashrams, shelter homes and several other places, which would be easily accessible to the underprivileged. Each library would have 300 constructive toys, comprising of dolls, building blocks, sand buckets, stickers, but not guns and revolvers. “We have pressed on the requirement of constructive toys rather than violent toys,” said Ms Lekhi.
“Toy libraries answer critical needs the families face today and offer an additional dimension to India’s educational program by providing another environment of abundant play opportunity supplemented by a collection of adaptive toys and a platform for discussion among parents, teachers and other key stakeholders,” Ms Lekhi said after dedicating the complex to the children of the school.
In this age of Digital India, not many children play with toys. If the elder children give away their unused toys on various occasions, it would imbibe a sense of giving and sharing, she added. “The toys play a key role in building children mentally, physically, emotionally. There are children who might not necessarily have access to economic means that may provide for a childhood that is filled with toys,” she said.
Under the programme, people can also donate toys, for which collection centres would be put up soon.
Recently, one such Atal Toy Library was opened in a school run by South Delhi Municipal Corporation. Interestingly, New Delhi Parliamentary constituency has maximum number of homeless children.
