When the maidans disappear, where does the nation go to play?
The article discusses the decline of 'maidans'—traditional public open spaces in India—as they are increasingly converted into private sports complexes or commercial developments. It highlights how these spaces serve as vital, democratic hubs for community interaction and sport.
Why it matters
The loss of public commons impacts urban social cohesion and the accessibility of physical activity for lower-income populations.
Maidans might be one of the most democratic institutions our world has invented without ever intending to. A maidan does not care much about your surname, class, or whether you can afford a membership at a club. If you have a bat, you can play. If you don't, you can stand at the boundary, and eventually be dragged into the game.That is not how all sporting spaces work. A sporting academy or private indoor sporting arena has some kind of exclusivity and membership fee. A maidan has a different logic. The rich and the poor can occupy the same patch of grass, even if they do not live the same lives outside it.Maidans are a public common. Public commons are places that belong to everyone and to no one at the same time.However, across the country, these maidans have been shrinking.
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