On August 20, Hungerford Street was packed with cars carrying eager kids to check out the latest chill pad for kids in town, House of Pepe, a multi-specialty play and learn zone for kids, opened doors by welcoming ace wrestler The Great Khali as their special guest. As the afternoon peaked, the space was packed with kids and toddlers of all ages, all set to not just meet Khali but also indulge in a day of frolic, with parents chatting away on the side.
“The journey of creating this mammoth space where everyone was absolutely clueless of how things would happen and what exactly had to be done was absolutely incredible. The idea was to create an unforgettable journey for the kids and to bring a new era of indoor play arena to Kolkata. Juggling over so many ideas and concepts right from planning the space to the decor and every detail, it was a brainstorming activity at each step. Last but not the least, the trust and support we received from Ankush and Rachana Agarwala (co-owners) helped us go that extra mile to achieve this brilliant outcome,” said Archit and Aditi Saraogi, from The Design Nest, the firm behind the design of the space.
The Telegraph gets you the lowdown.
From the moment he walked in, The Great Khali was bombarded by fans for selfies and photos, and the gentle giant happily obliged to all the requests. “I am happy to be in Kolkata, and specially House of Pepe is a concept that I really liked. I feel it is very important for kids to get the right amount of play and fun and this is exactly what the space caters to. That apart, it also has a good space for exercise and fitness for kids, which I feel is a much-needed activity in the hectic and fast-paced lives of kids today who are having to juggle multiple activities in their day-to-day living,” said Khali, who also played tug-of-war, and balloon dive games with the kids.
Cookie decoration was one of the major hits at the event. Kids queued up for it and came up with a variety of colourful designs and colours. No sooner were the cookies designed that they were devoured too by the young guns. The appetising finger-food spread that ranged from pizzas, to fries and more was a huge hit with the kids as well.
Not just the play area and obstacle course, kids had good fun indulging in some good old boxing as well. We loved how this little boxer posed for The Telegraph camera.
Spiderman and Pepe, the frog mascot, were doing the rounds at the event for photo-ops. The Telegraph camera caught this young spiderman fan posing with his superhero. #SpideyVibes
Can a celebration ever be complete without some song and dance? Definitely not. The event also had seasoned dance trainers breaking up into a sprint to some popular Bollywood dance numbers and the kids followed suit. The Telegraph spotted this little one happily emulating the hook step to the popular party anthem Bijlee bijlee with gusto.
Zip-lining was the most preferred activity of the day with little ones patiently standing in line for their turn to come. With full harness and helmet in place, the guides and trainers made sure it is a safe activity for kids. While some hesitated in the beginning, once they took a jump, it was all smiles.
“Kids events are our forte and this new space is such a breath of fresh air. We had a great time planning and prepping for the decor of the launch as well as the activities. It was just like having a birthday party, but this time there was not one kid in focus but rather 100 kids that attended the event. We are happy with the success of the event and wish the space loads of good luck,” said Pepsi Kalwani and Shiv Karira, co-owners, UD Events & More, the guys behind the event decor and activities.
Pictures: Rashbehari Das