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State’s first open gym for girls to come up in Baghpat village
It sounded like a dream come true for Priyanka Sharma, 28, a gym trainer, when divisional commissioner Surendra Singh gave a positive response to her request to set up state’s first open gym (outdoor gym) for girls in her village Bijraul in Baghpat district during a ‘Jan Chaupal’ recently
It sounded like a dream come true for Priyanka Sharma, 28, a gym trainer, when divisional commissioner Surendra Singh gave a positive response to her request to set up state’s first open gym (outdoor gym) for girls in her village Bijraul in Baghpat district during a ‘Jan Chaupal’ recently.
Priyanka, a mother of three who earns her livelihood by imparting training at a gym in Baraut as her husband has some spinal problem, made the request when the commissioner was hearing issues related to the villagers and seeking their suggestions for the development of the village on Tuesday. Commissioner Singh admitted that for a while he was taken aback.
“It was the first instance in my career that a woman was demanding an exclusive gym for girls in a village,” said Singh and he looked towards Baghpat DM Rajkamal Yadav who was equally surprised at the idea of a village woman.
Singh said they announced then and there to establish an exclusive open gym for girls in the village, claiming that it would be first-of-its-kind in the state. Singh said it would give a boost to the CM’s message to empower girls and women under the ongoing Mission Shakti in the state.
While praising Priyanka, district magistrate Rajkamal Yadav said work had already been started and the gym would be established in the next 15 days. “If girls and women show enthusiasm, we can also establish an indoor gym for them in future,” said Yadav and elaborated that multipurpose gym machines would be installed in the open gym.
He said it was good to see that girls and women in villages wanted to join gym for their physical fitness and assured full support to them. The DM said since the district had produced many players of repute in shooting, Kabaddi and wrestling, the district administration would soon launch a sports promotion drive in the district working on different dimensions of sports to promote it further among the youth.
As for Priyanka, she had to step out of her home to earn after her husband Situ, a marginal farmer, developed some problem in his spine some five years ago. First, she joined a women’s self-help group in the village and started earning ₹2000 per month.
A fitness freak since her childhood, Priyanka decided to join a gym in Baraut town (6 km from the village) when she saw some boys of the village going there three years ago.
Although it was difficult for her to shell out ₹500 per month for the gym, she somehow managed. Impressed by her dedication, the gym owner offered her the job of trainer around a year ago, she said.
“Now I earn ₹5,000 per month and also keep my passion for fitness alive,” said a visibly enthusiastic Priyanka. She claimed that like boys, girls of the village also aspired for jobs in police and armed forces and therefore they kept doing running, jogging and other exercises for physical fitness. She also claimed that at least 10 to 12 girls of the village had been selected in Delhi police and other similar jobs.
Former village head Ch Upendra Singh said like boys, girls of the village too gave importance to their physical fitness. As per him, many of them did running and jogging on a 400-metre track made around the field of Ch Shah Mal Inter College. “Officials’ decision to set up an open gym for girls in the village would inspire more girls and women to keep themselves healthy,” said Singh.
Another village woman Puja Rani, 28, a mother of two, is practising for running a distance of 2400 metre in 14 seconds. “I have been selected for the post of jail warden and I have to undergo a physical test, including covering a distance of 2400 metre in 14 seconds”, said Puja.
“For now, I take 16 seconds and therefore practising hard to be able to cover the said distance in 14 seconds,” she added. On the open gym for girls, she said, “It would be a boon for village girls and women who seldom get proper fitness equipment for exercise.”
