Dharavi, one of Asia’s largest informal settlements, Juhu and Khar danda—three neighbourhoods often spoken about in terms of congestion. But have you ever recalled them as spaces of play where children find moments of joy amid open litter bins, turn narrow alleys into cricket pitches, and convert courtyards into theatres of imagination?

In Cult of Play: The Culture and Development of Children’s Play in Mumbai & Beyond, Austrian architect Martina Maria Spies—founder of Anukruti, a social initiative for child-friendly spaces—along with co-editor Pritika Akhil Kumar, urges us to see these neighbourhoods in a new light. Through on-site explorations with children, the recently launched book presents a spatial system that redefines play—not as an activity confined to earmarked playgrounds but as something that flows seamlessly into homes, doorsteps, and communal spaces.