At this community gymnasium in Chintadripet for women, functionality pulls its weight. Luxury does not quite keep pace with functionality, but no one is complaining.

With murals displaying women in workouts, the ambience draws the eye without going over the top. Though compact, the gym comes with sufficient space, further enhanced by a mirror, not one stretching from roof to floor, the kind encountered at every turn in commercial gyms, but large enough to provide a sense of expansiveness. The flooring seems to have been designed for safety, being slip-resistant. Being seating-based, the fitness work station is suitable even for elderly users. Among the notable fitness equipment are stationary exercise bikes, an elliptical cross-trainer and a cable machine.

And one look at the composition of the people visiting this Greater Chennai Corporation-run, women’s gym at Vedagiri Street in Chintadripet, and the question of inclusivity gets decisively settled. The age band of the visitors is wide; there are home makers whose day never gets done; the elderly, who have settled into quiet retirement; and even working women, who troop into the gym in the early opening hours, spend a few minutes for fitness and rush back home to get ready for office.

Gyms always provide a space for banter; but this one specialises in neighbourhood banter. Freezing one frame, this photojournalist got to interact with three women who were from the streets that are neighbours to Vedagiri Street. Vineetha (aged 46), a resident of Iyya Street. Jennifer (aged 31), a resident of Padavattamman Street. Sonam, also 31 years old and staying at Padavattamman Street, is visiting her parents, long-time residents of that street in Chintadripet.

This gym is turning out to be a valued community facility for women residents across the neighbourhood, enabling them to take fewer steps to access a fitness space, but cover considerable ground in terms of good health. . Located in Ward 62 which comes under Royapuram Zone of Greater Chennai Corporation, the gym’s establishment was made possible by funds from the councillor’s allocation. The total cost of project is ₹46 lakh.

At present, the facility operates from 6.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m.; evening hours are expected to be introduced in the future, expanding access for working women and students.

The gym is now being managed temporarily by Corporation staff member Muthamma. After completing her morning responsibilities at the gym, she continues her work day at the ward office. This arrangement would be in place till the appointment of a full-time caretaker. When that happens, the gym’s doors would be open in the evening hours too.

On an average, 15 women would be using the facility every day, visiting at timings convenient to them.

The gym has filled an important gap by offering an accessible and private space for exercise in the neighbourhood.

Vineetha says women in the area had earlier depended largely on walking at May Day Park for physical activity.

Jennifer notes the gym had added variety to their routines. “Usually, we were only walking. Stationary cycling brings an air of novelty to our exercise routine,” she elaborates.

She adds that exercising outdoors often required residents to begin early in the morning before the heat intensified. “Walking in May Day Park would require us to head there early before the sun gets intense. The gym gives us the option of exercising a little later in the day. There is also privacy here,” Jennifer points out.

Sonam, from Coimbatore and currently visiting her parents at Padavattamman Street, observes the facility has enabled her to maintain continuity in her regular fitness regimen. “In Coimbatore, I would hit the gym regularly. Quick access to this facility means there is continuity to my fitness routine,” notes Sonam.

The gym will see wider operations once evening operations begin, especially among working women unable to visit during morning hours.