Do kids really ‘know’ their city?
Updated On: 27 October, 2025 09:38 AM IST | Mumbai | Fiona Fernandez
It’s important for parents and schools to encourage youngsters to experience the joys of cultural and literary events as the season commences in the city. These are the ideal tactile platforms for them to cherish its treasures in person, away from their digital-centred existence
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Be it Powai Lake or Khotachiwadi, children should visit such sites and be made aware of the threats and challenges they face. Pics/Fiona Fernandez
It was a penny-drop moment. During a school visit to discuss the city’s priceless, often overlooked heritage, I was exposed to a certain type of vacuum that exists in the minds of many students. This episode occurred when I was invited to a sought-after school located in one of the eastern suburbs. My already-high hopes hit the roof when I noticed a state-of-the-art library, and even a newspaper rack stacked with multiple newspapers in the lobby. However, things went downhill as soon as a quiz that I had prepared for the students, based on the city’s historic, cultural and natural heritage, rolled out. The surprises included being unable to identify notable city landmarks, and having never heard of Prithvi Theatre, let alone watched a show there.
Back in the non-social media era, I recall how we, as collegians from the eastern suburbs, would make monthly plans to Prithvi Theatre. We would make the effort to hike all the way to Juhu in those pre-Ola/Uber times. I still recall the teenage thrill of spotting Shashi Kapoor make a quiet entry, or Ustad Zakir Hussain doing an impromptu live gig at Prithvi Café. Bragging rights with friends, or doe-eyed parents who allowed us to explore the city, would follow. This rewind reel, while it might appear as a distraction, is to highlight a prevalent concern among nuclear, especially ‘township’-living families.
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