NDTV, Voices of Play & Bachpan Manao Initiative Brings Children Together To Draft India's First National Play Manifesto

On the International Day of Play, June 11, 2025, Voices of Play put out a nationwide invitation to bring together many children to contribute to what is being described as India's first National Play Manifesto, created “by children, for children and for every caring adult.” The exercise formed part of the Voices of Play initiative, under which 22 organisations across 10 states responded to the invitation and hosted their own Voices of Play event, at small and large scales. Through play based activities they asked children: what does play mean to you? What are the barriers you face when it comes to play? What do you wish for from play? Supported by REACH Collective, Shiksharth, Bachpan Manao and NDTV, the Voices of Play initiative engaged more than 4,000 children. Their responses have been compiled into a manifesto reflecting how children experience play across different settings. The effort comes at a time when screens are increasingly shaping childhood, reducing time spent in outdoor and unstructured play despite its importance in early development. This concern forms the basis of the Bachpan Manao campaign, which focuses on bringing play back into childhood through more engaging and experiential learning approaches.

Across Schools, Homes And Open Spaces

Voices of Play sessions were held in various settings from anganwadis and zilla parishad schools to classrooms in cities and courtyards in villages. Children responded in different ways, using drawings, songs, letters, neighbourhood maps, skits and written reflections to express what play meant to them.

Voices From Across States

Children from Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Assam, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Karnataka, among other states, took part in the exercise. Their responses were in different languages, such as English, Marathi, Hindi, Assamese and Odia, depending on what they were comfortable with.

“When I play, I feel free like a bird and it makes me happy, excited and funny.” Kripa, 10, Bangalore.

“Parents, teachers and everyone around us ask what are you studying, which class are you in, what subject you like. But no one asks what games you play, what you like to play, how long you play. Even when we get time to play they say, why aren't you studying, why are you just playing.” Akshaya, 13, Tamil Nadu.

“Our play area is taken over by uncles playing cards. We have nowhere to go.” Sayed Khan, 13, Kolkata “Girls are told not to play with boys, but then where should we go?” Zareen, 11, Kolkata.

“Do not disturb. Support the children if they want to join.” Amaya, 8.

Manifesto Based On Children's Experiences

The material collected, which included drawings, poems, conversations and skits among others, has been brought together to form the National Play Manifesto. The document has been compiled and designed into a book in collaboration with Bookosmia, a platform that publishes work for and by young people.

What Happens Next

The organisers have said the manifesto marks the beginning of the initiative, with children's voices still being added as the final version is developed into a book for wider circulation. Participants were also given certificates and stickers recognising them as “Champions of Play.”

A New Phase With Focus On Action

Season 2 of the Bachpan Manao campaign, launched in early 2026 by EkStep Foundation and NDTV with actor-model Neha Dhupia, shifts the focus from awareness to action. The focus this time is on small, everyday steps that encourage joyful childhood growth. With the theme “Bachpan is Gr8,” the campaign focuses on eight areas of early childhood, which include play, stories, nature, creativity, bonding, skills, education, quiet and care.

Voices of Play began as a simple premise: that children are the foremost experts on the role of play in their own lives. The initiative set out to do what rarely happens in conversations about childhood — to ask children directly, and then get out of the way. This year, that premise took shape at scale.

Working with 22 partner organisations across 10 states, the team asked children one question: what does play mean to you? The responses came in drawings, poems, songs, neighbourhood maps, skits and written reflections — in English, Hindi, Marathi, Assamese, Odia and dialects that resisted easy translation. Games were named that carried entire worlds inside them: Ghor-Ghor, Chikutkut, Vish Amrit. The National Play Manifesto is the document that emerged from those voices.

Compiled and designed in collaboration with Bookosmia, it is not a policy brief or an adult interpretation — it is a record of what 4,000 children said, as close to their own words and images as the team could keep it. The book will be in circulation by May-June 2025, sent to the organisations and communities that made it possible — and beyond.

The hope is straightforward: that it reaches the hands of people who can act on what children are saying. A policy maker. A city planner. A teacher. A neighbour.