Children play traditional games at BIA

BANGALORE: With upgradation of technology at a phenomenal speed, there is a new ‘toy’ out almost every other day. This seems to have brought about a huge change in children and teenagers in today’s age. PlayPort at the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) is an effort to bridge this gap by giving children a chance to experience the fun their parents had. This two-week-long activity began on Tuesday on the airport premises. This year, PlayPort is designed for the young passengers who pass through the airport in larger numbers during the ongoing school holidays.Twenty children from the Sparsha Foundation Trust, a non-governmental organisation, launched the PlayPort Carnival at the airport. Children aged between 5 and 16 years took part in activities like colouring pictures and they also watched a magic show. “This is my first visit to the airport and I thought only planes took off and landed here, but the fun here is something which I did not expect. We make and play with catapults in the village but seeing the children at the airport play with the same toys excited me,” said Bhagya, a 14-year-old passenger.Activties here include Kale Kshetra, Kreede Kshetra and Vigyaan Kshetra, to showcase traditional art forms and toys including catapult making, painting and chalk carving. Kale Kshetra provides an opportunity for children to colour with crayons, the Vigyaan Kshetra area entertains them with periscopes, kaleidoscope and common telescope. At the Kreeda Kshetra, children can play with marbles and spin a top.“This event is designed to provide fun time for children. These activites are a mean to break the barriers of just being an airstrip, where planes take off and land and look beyond,” said B Bhaskar, Director for finance at BIAL.