And the good news is that by December 2001, four other metros across the country will have their own Funkie Orbits too.

Funkie Orbit is the brainchild of Shalini Chand of the Apollo Tyres family. Chand, who stays in Singapore, felt that Indian kids did not have enough good and wholesome play options. Funkie Orbit aims to infuse spontaneity and imaginative skills in children. Chand shared her views with her father, Raaja R S Kanwar, who implemented the concept, formalising the action plan.

Funkie Orbit will be anchored to shopping malls in all the metros and propounds the mantra of drop and shop for mothers. `` The decision got further enhanced when my mother, Taru Kanwar, experienced the sheer, magical effect the play station had on her little grandsons at a shopping mall overseas,'' says Chand.``With the joint family system breaking up and Indian families living as small nuclear units, children miss out on physical exercise and the pleasure of using all their senses in play. They are either sitting before the television or the computer. Most play parks in the country are totally mechanised-the child enjoys all the induced action passively,'' Kanwar feels.As Vippan Kapur, CEO, Panoramic Entertainment, which owns Funkie Orbit, puts it: ``When a mother is shopping, she just has to hand her child over to our trustworthy rangers, who take the child in their care.''A `larger than life', multi-tiered play station, Funkie Orbit can entertain over 200 children at a time. It offers a variety of play options: a ball pool for toddlers to bounce in; vision adventure panels and sight and sound panels that stretch the imagination; space age satellite communicators, radar receptors, aviators that can take you into space; a fun forest to explore; and a mega slide that is a real treat for children. Crafted out of the finest, moulded plastic that is fire and break resistant plus flooring that softens the impact of falls, Funkie Orbit is a completely safe and comfortable indoor play zone.

Funkie Orbit charges Rs 120 Mondays through Thursdays for 45 minutes and Rs 150 on weekends starting Friday.

The play station also has a cafe, which offers a host of child-oriented snacks and an ice-cream parlour with lots of flavours from which to choose. There is a special theme room for small, cosy birthday bashes. And a package for schools who can look at Funkie Orbit as an excursion option.

Perceived ultimately as a hobby centre, Funkie Orbit has a cyber cell to educate children. Escorts and parents can also surf the Net here and sip a fine brew from the well-stocked coffee station.

The furniture is custom-designed for children and the walls painted with fairy-tale images. As Taru Kanwar puts it, ``We have tried to create a kid's paradise, which also appeals to the taste of grown-ups.''