The Youth COSMO presents Pune’s first outdoor festival dedicated to reconnecting children with nature through heritage games, music, food, and community-led learning.
Pune, November 24, 2025 – The countdown has begun! On November 29, 2025, The Youth COSMO will bring Rootopia 2025: Paramparik Khel Utsav to the Pune International Centre, an unforgettable evening where children and their families step outside, touch the soil, and rediscover the joy of real play through India’s traditional games, martial arts, folk music, and hands-on learning.
Designed as a nature-first, intergenerational experience, Rootopia is powered by farmers, artisans, martial arts teachers, cultural practitioners and community leaders – the real custodians of India’s living knowledge systems.
With registrations nearing capacity, families are encouraged to book now while spots remain via: https://www.theyouthcosmo.org/
“At The Youth COSMO, we believe that children’s naturalist intelligence – their instinct to understand and learn from the living world – is one of humanity’s oldest and most important abilities. Today, in an overwhelmingly digital world, that connection is weakening, and Rootopia aims to restore it. By drawing from nature, heritage, and traditional play, we hope to spark a shift in how childhood learning is experienced; moving it outdoors, making it sensory, and reminding families that the planet itself is the first classroom”, said Hrishikesh Bichu, Co-Founder, The Youth COSMO.
“We have always believed that sustainability is not something you learn later in life, it begins the moment a child touches soil, understands where food comes from, and forms a relationship with nature. That grounding is what shaped us as children and later as entrepreneurs. And it’s what we want future generations to inherit. Rootopia and The Youth COSMO share that same commitment to returning childhood to our roots, to the outdoors, curiosity, and hands-on learning. Supporting this festival felt natural, because it reflects exactly what we stand for”, said Ajinkya Hange, Co-Founder, Two Brothers Organic Farms.
Why Rootopia, Why Now
With childhood moving indoors and onto screens, Rootopia asks a simple but urgent question: What happens when we bring children back to the ground, literally? In just five immersive hours, children will
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Build naturalist intelligence and emotional grounding
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Learn through movement, strategy, collaboration, and creative play
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Experience heritage not as history, but as relevant, scientific, and exciting
What Children will Experience
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Hunt like a tiger, strategise like a king: Heritage games such as Bagh-Chaal, Pallanguzhi, Churanga, and the original Snakes & Ladders (Moksha Patam)
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Train like ancient warriors: Hands-on sessions in Lathi-Kathi and Kalaripayattu
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Make music from the earth: Bamboo, gourds, clay, seeds, and folk sound science
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Learn from real knowledge keepers: Elders, practitioners, farmers, and culture-bearers
Highlights You Won’t Want to Miss:
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INTACH Pune offers a rare display of heritage games and traditional knowledge.
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A special highlight: 81-year-old heritage bearer Vilas Karandikar, showcasing his historic bhatukli collection – once central to Maharashtrian childhood imagination and learning.
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Featured experiences include:
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Live game stations and handcrafted board games
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Folk and tribal musical instruments
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Cultural displays from rural archives
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Kalaripayattu (live demonstration)
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Lathi-Kathi by Jnanaprabodhini
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Sound journeys with Yudi
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Rock balancing with Gautam Vaishnav
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Traditional organic food from Two Brothers Organic Farms.
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Children’s literature
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Toy-making workshop
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Games and puzzles marketplace
Get Involved: Be Part of the Movement
Rootopia is a growing movement to rebuild children’s connection with nature and community. By replacing screens with physical play, local food, and multisensory experiences, Rootopia nurtures curiosity, mindfulness, sustainability, and a return to joyful childhood.
Event Details
Date: Saturday, November 29, 2025
Time: 4:30 PM – 9:00 PM IST
Location: Pune International Centre, Panchwati, Pashan
Ideal For: Children 6+ and families
Registrations: Tickets selling out fast; book now via: https://www.theyouthcosmo.org/
Rootopia 2025 is supported by organisations who share The Youth COSMO’s vision of building eco-conscious learning ecosystems such as Two Brothers Organic Farms; Pune International Centre as venue partners and; Intach Pune as heritage partners.
