In a world starved for joy, compassion and love, here’s an entity that helps children to learn, expand their horizons and enhance their creativity—through fun, not by instruction 

Many years ago, as a child, Devendra Desai wanted to play a game of chess with his mother, but she was busy preparing his lunch. But finally, she gave into her child's demand. Devendra's mother abandoned her daily chore and got a chessboard for her little wonder.

The child was thrilled—and enjoyed playing the game. This incident remained in Devendra's mind. Over the years, he started thinking of children who don't get to play. Then came a day when Devendra got the opportunity to play with a couple of kids near his Fort (south Mumbai) office. Subsequently, he made it a point to play with his neighbourhood kids. Such was the joy he received, that he established the Children Toy Foundation (CTF) in Mumbai.

CTF got its first funding from ICICI in 1982. Today the foundation has centres in Mumbai, Baroda and Allahabad. Devendra is now 63 years young—and still enjoys playing with his children.

And CTF now speaks the language of fun—a language every child understands. It delights kids with its toy vans donated by corporates, who have incorporated this activity as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (SCR) initiatives. L&T has its Nanha Munna Express, Vibha Inc (a US-based company) has its Laugh Van and Godrej has provided its Good Time Bus. These toy vans are now the face of CTF; they visit 33 BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) schools every month.

CTF also has its Khel Vigyan project, its motto is "Play together, stay together". The foundation has established a static library in City of Los Angeles Municipal School in Matunga (central Mumbai) where teachers play with children—from tiny tots to those in the seventh standard. From Rajawadi Municipal School (Ghatkopar, Mumbai) to DN Nagar Municipal School (at Andheri, another Mumbai suburb), these buses are the face of CTF.

Devendra has chosen not to marry—he considers the toy library his wife, the toys are his daughters and the games are his sons. His satisfaction comes from seeing his 'children' playing with other kids.

CTF works like a normal 'fun' school. A schedule is prepared every month. For example, during the monsoon, children are taught poems mirroring the mood of the season—during festivals, stories are recounted of the significance behind these occasions.

On a daily basis, five teachers visit a BMC school and conduct five sessions of one hour each. These one-hour sessions are divided into three parts of 20 minutes each—indoor games, outdoor games and other activities that include drama enactments, storytelling, craftwork, painting and puppet shows.

Kids play, learn and have fun during this hour. Five groups of ten kids are formed and they are supervised by the teachers. These teachers perform dramas and puppet shows and then children from each group come forth and present the same. Songs from popular cinema are a big hit—and a regular event in every session. The games that are taught range from puzzles, board games, educative games, memory tests and IQ-improvement games-all these help children to develop analytical thinking.

Vandana Sonawane, co-ordinator, CTF, told Moneylife, "We believe in education through games. These activities help in developing and enhancing their creativity as well as improving their concentration." These games not only amuse children but also stimulate spontaneous thinking—as a result kids boldly ask questions and put forward their views.  

To educate pre-teen girls, CTF also conducts sessions to educate them on life after adolescence. Since the school at Matunga doesn't have a drawing teacher, CTF conducts regular drawing classes for kids.

Since inception, funding has been a major problem for CTF as convincing corporates about their cause is difficult. With increasing diesel prices, it has become difficult to run these toy vans. Ms Sonawane told Moneylife, "Parking (issues) and getting permission from the RTO (Regional Transport Authority) for clearing these buses are the regular problems. With the Aadhaar centres (where people are being issued the Unique Identity Numbers) in BMC schools, often, we don't have rooms available to conduct sessions."

The real joy that CTF derives is watching kids turn their ideas into reality. Every month competitions are arranged for children where they get to voice their thoughts. Recently, CTF arranged a drawing competition for kids in kindergarten, in an attempt to test the awareness of these children. They were asked to draw the aftermath of the recent Mumbai blasts. A number of them displayed their imagination about the tragic incident-this indicates how city life has seared into their consciousnesses.

CTF has committed teachers who have been working for the foundation for over a decade. These senior teachers train the new teachers, volunteers and interns every second and fourth Saturday. After school hours, these senior teachers train their staff by playing games. Since most of the kids belong to the lower socio-economic background-and many children being reared by a single parent, CTF teachers regularly update themselves on issues and explain them to kids. The foundation's collection of over 70 indoor games and books of a wide variety allows these kids to remain happy... everyday. Ms Sonawane says, "We allow kids to carry books home by telling them that these are your books and you have to take care of them."

CTF participates in the Mumbai Marathon and the Joy of Giving (JOG) week every year. During the JOG week, it organises competitions, and corporates are invited to collect donations. The material made by the kids is also exhibited at these events.

People donate games, story books and stationery for kids-or sometimes simply come to play with them. With its belief that everyone including kids, parents and grandparents should play with children; CTF makes everyone to play for an hour before accepting any donations. Ms Sonawane said: "I get to play with the kids daily-this is my biggest joy."