Joyous hoots and loud, animated chatter greet the colourfully-painted van as it winds its way along the uneven path leading to the construction site. The assembled group of children and toddlers, dressed in worn-out clothes, watch the progress of the van through eyes that mirror their excitement. The van stops. Its doors open. There, before them, is the most amazing display of toys and games. This mobile toy van, a project of the Children Toy Foundation, is an attempt by founder and managing trustee Devendra Desai to provide underprivileged children — at construction sites, orphanages and slums — with ‘‘toy time’’ to enhance their personality.Launched a year ago, this confidence-building exercise looks at interweaving toy time with formal education. The reward? ‘‘The smile on the faces of these children is rewarding enough,’’ says Desai.The multi-coloured van is stocked with group games, individual games and nearly 300 toys. Magnetic game counters on the body of the van ensure that at least 200 children can simultaneously play group games. According to Desai, this unique feature makes it a one-of-its-kind van in the world.‘‘The van also has a sound system attached to it which enables children to sing songs, narrate jokes etc. Puppetry can also be demonstrated inside the van. This can be seen through the glass windows,’’ says project coordinator Meeta Goyal. ‘‘At the end of each day, we screen educative or comedy films such as Dada Dadi ki Kahani, Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Vikram aur Vetal and other children’s films. Magicians and jugglers also perform to provide curriculum-based education,’’ she adds.The Toy Library is another such venture by the Children Toy Foundation. With 224 branches, it caters to all age groups from 2 to 16 years. The branches — located at orphanages, jails, slums, construction sites and civic schools — are open from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm every day. Every class or child can visit the library twice a week and handle about six toys per hour. It has also found mention in the Limca Book of Records for its large number of branches and the number of books.Thirteen-year-old Joy Raju, who lives on the pavement opposite Lion Gate on Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg, is a die-hard fan of the toy library. ‘‘I took my first ride on a small cycle at Desai uncle’s place. Here, I can play with all the toys. I am also learning about plants, animals and so many other things,’’ he says.Highlighting the merits of this mode of education, Desai opined that attendance in the schools where the project is being implemented has improved. ‘‘Their grasping power and concentration has improved after they started learning through toys. These children are deprived of parental love and they bloom under the special attention by the teachers,’’ Desai adds.
