Many adults among us were children who couldn’t wait to grow up, only to realise later that something precious was left behind along the way. That realisation often came with a question – if the early years really mattered so much, why were we in such a hurry to control them? That sense of loss, of having rushed through childhood, is the core of philanthropist and writer Rohini Nilekani’s The Playbook of Play, a concept book consisting of blank pages that urges adults to slow down and look again at the early years they now shape for others.
“The first eight years are a biological window of opportunity. Science shows that 85 per cent of brain development happens in this period,” says Nilekani. For her, this is not just a statistic but a call for attention, as she notes how India’s National Education Policy reinforces this understanding by ‘centralising play as the way children learn best’ and by recognising ‘a learning continuum from age three to eight through play.’ Yet, knowing this has not made adults calmer. If anything, it has intensified anxiety, Nilekani believes. Her philanthropic works, alongside Bachpan Manao, an initiative seeded by the EkStep Foundation, also shape the book’s wider ambition to make childhood life itself rather than a preparation for it.
The Playbook of Play was a result of this thought to raise awareness of the abundance of childhood and celebrate growth and learning opportunities for every child in their first eight years through joy, care and responsibility. “The book is not a guidebook in the conventional sense. I wanted to create a creative provocation – to help adults see that learning through play in these early foundational years,” says the writer, who has also penned book like Stillborn, Uncommon Ground and Hungry Little Sky Monster.
The title itself plays as a deliberate tease or a misdirection. “Adults often seek a mastery manual to ease their worries and anxiety,” she explains, adding, “But the moment you open it, you realise the surprise – play doesn’t need a book.”
In the current scenario of the country, she feels the book is timely, stating, “Parents and educators across India are navigating worries and pressures.”Against that backdrop, the book becomes a happy reminder that they have the permission to step back and trust the instinctive, joyful language of childhood – play.”
Drawing from her experience, Nilekani challenges a deep assumption society puts forward, observing the anxieties she sees around her – filled with a sense of pressure and comparison. “The book is both a response to the anxieties of caring adults, which range from fear of being left behind to fear of not being able to provide. I see it across every socio-economic and demographic background. As a mother and grandmother, my lived insight is that childhood is not preparation for life – it is life, and joy is a critical ingredient of learning to learn.”
Although play has always featured in her writing for children, this book demanded a shift, as he notes, “This one is different; it is for adults – they need to feel and connect with play.”
What Nilekani ultimately hopes readers take away from her book is freedom. “I want children to have the freedom to imagine, try and make mistakes, and I want adults to have the freedom to let go of anxiety.” When carers value the endless why and what questions, allow for exploring by digging in the sand, nurture curiosity by finding things together and witness the falling and getting up, the essentials fall into place, she believes. “In the simplicity of it all lies the magic of childhood, and there lies the foundation for lifelong learning,” Nilekani signs off.