In January 2026 Bachpan Manao brought together a group of people who influence childhood in different ways – as parents, educators, policymakers, funders, researchers, and practitioners.
This group converged at ‘Makkala Hubba’ in Freedom Park, a citywide childrens’ festival, part of ‘BLR Hubba’. Makkala Hubba was supported by Bachpan Manao, brought alive eight wonders of childhood – play, social bonding, all-round-skills, education, creativity, stories, nature and quiet time.
While the festival was in full swing, this group found a spot under a peepul tree in the amphitheatre of Freedom Park and gathered to discuss “What it really means to invest in childhood?”
To explore this, the group wrote letters to their future children, imagining the year 2050 and reflecting on the kind of childhood they hoped to protect, the world they wanted to leave behind, and the choices they believed adults needed to make to get there.
This zine brings together key themes that emerged from those letters. Investing in Childhood is the first issue of the Bachpan Baithak Archive.
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