What does it take to turn an ordinary Anganwadi into a space where children thrive? Architect Swati Janu shares how a mirror, a few hundred rupees and thoughtful design can transform early childhood learning.
A leaking roof left Hoshiarpur Anganwadi Centre in Noida unsafe for a month, damaging wiring and walls. NalandaWay Foundation’s intervention brought repairs, new furniture and paint — restoring a safe, joyful learning space for the Centre’s 43 children.
Mastiwadi, by KhojGhar in Sukma, Chhattisgarh, reimagines Anganwadis as spaces of joyful, self-directed play. Its 15 locally-sourced installations include the Texture & Material Wall — a giant fish holding 34 tactile materials — turning everyday objects into sensory stories that connect children’s play to their surrounding world.
A day-in-the-life account of Rita, an Anganwadi worker in Bhuj’s Ward 8, showing how a job once dismissed as “2 kalak ni naukri” (a two-hour job) actually stretches across meals, health monitoring, digital app burdens, ration distribution hurdles, and unpaid dues — yet she stays for the children who keep her coming back.
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