A house with ball pits, doll houses and walls you can clamber up, is every child’s dream. But it’s when all these can accommodate adults as well, that things get interesting. “We all climbed this as soon as it was ready,” says Anu Sriram, about the wall with rock climbing attachments she is leaning on and the monkey bars right opposite. Anu and her business partners, Badri Narayanan, Haripriya, Anupama Mandava and Deepa Vijay, spend their evenings here at Utopia World, looking over the operations of their multi-tiered play zone in Abiramapuram.
The project is something of a second innings for them — Badri used to be an engineer, Deepa was in customer service and Priya, in the field of design. But all of them felt the lack of quality time with family, and were sure that other working parents felt the same.
Ironically, Deepa also points out parents’ need for “some time to spend around grown-ups, relaxing and having grown-up conversations.” Utopia, the team says, offers families both these options. “You can sit back and watch a film in the media room, or have a cup of coffee, or just chat with your friends and spouse, knowing that your children are right here and are kept engaged,” explains Badri.
To that end, there are a number of activities one can opt for, in the three-storey building at the end of a sleepy, tree-lined lane. The ground floor consists largely of a café, a humble library that includes everything from children’s encyclopaedias to Orhan Pamuk novels, a collection of board games, and a boutique that — at first glance — looks completely pink. A second glance does throw up a few more hues. The space is run by a friend who sells clothes for children, says the team.
Up a flight of stairs is the play area, clearly capable of keeping children of different age groups happily occupied for a few hours — clambering up nets, swinging from ropes, weaving their way in and out of a life-sized doll house, or just colouring quietly by themselves. The idea is to have a team of helpers present constantly, to not only to keep an eye on the revellers, but also to actively engage with them and help them be more creative. The space is also given out to storytellers, and for birthday parties.
On the final level are the gym and the media room, the latter also doubling up as a dance room. “We have yoga instructors coming in for regular sessions, while School of Dance holds our dance classes. Our fitness partner is 7th Box Fit,” informs Anu.
Utopia World is located at 5/2, 1st street, Abiramapuram. For prices and other details, call 9884532222.
