…children in any part of the world must grow up and can’t be children forever. But somewhere there is a country where children don’t grow up! This country is called Neverland and is an enchanted world where children play and enjoy themselves…

I would not be surprised if J.M. Barrie was thinking of Latika Vihar when he wrote Peter Pan! To describe Latika Vihar is nearly impossible. Every description that I have tried to make over the past few months is as true as it is incomplete! To call it an after school activity centre negates the fact that it is also a place where children a lot more than just pottery, craft and drama. Latika Vihar, a place where we learn what true inclusion means, it’s a place where we realize every child is talented and unique. It’s a place where one forgets office politics, family stress and peer pressure. It’s a place where no one is ever allowed to grow up! Our own little Neverland, right here in the heart of Dehradun!

The true magic of Latika Vihar can be seen through the children. They come back every single day and refuse to go away! We have miserably tried to keep an age limit but that never deterred children younger than 5 or older than 12 to try their luck. And in the end they won! Now those above 12 take it upon themselves to help around and look after the younger lot and those below 5 make sure there is enough activity to keep the staff on their toes!

So, what exactly do we do at Latika Vihar? Well, we run around, we swing, we dance and we sing. We also learn to draw, to paint, to make baskets and to make puppets. Wait, there is more! We play badminton, football, cricket, kho-kho, musical chairs, chess, carom, table tennis, hockey, phew! I never realized how much and how hard the staff and children work!

How can I forget the staff! They are a formidable team consisting of creative, enthusiastic and fun loving individuals but the best thing about them is that they love having fun! And to be honest sometimes it’s nearly impossible to separate the staff from the children!
At Latika Vihar we do two things; Refuse and insist. There is no age to have fun, all ages can have fun and so we refuse to let go of our dreams, we insist on learning new skills, we refuse to be brought down, we insist on never growing up. We refuse to grow up.

But somewhere there is a country where children don’t grow up! This country is called Latika Vihar…