How does a woman exercise in India?

Studies claim that only 3% of Indian women get sufficient exercise due to various reasons, ranging from concerns about safety and body image issues to lack of time. So, what it is like for those who exercise in public spaces India? A few women from different parts of the country shared their experiences.

A 63-year-old woman in a senior citizen’s colony in Kamshet, Maharashtra, leaves her home in the early hours of morning to run uphill every day. This has been her chosen form of physical activity for many years now, but since she’s uncomfortable being stared at she chooses the quiet hour of 6am to run without disturbance. There are also many women who prefer a 5pm-6pm slot, when their day’s chores have been completed but they’re also left with enough time to return home and make dinner. Just as there is no particular time slot, there is no preferred form of exercise either. For instance, women have always flocked the promenade in Bandstand Mumbai, occupying exercise equipment, walking in groups of two or four and running across any available stretch – before and during the pandemic.

Despite this being a familiar sight, a recent study by the Indian Council of Medical Research and India Diabetes claims that only 3% of women get healthy levels of physical activity in a day. A 2018 WHO study also states that 43.9% of women in India do not get sufficient exercise as compared to the smaller 24.7% of men. So, is a gender gap responsible for poor health amongst Indian women? “From lack of time and appropriate place — since there aren’t enough green spaces — and safety and pollution, they have a long list of reasons for not working out. Some have even said that the dress they wear for working out makes them feel unsafe,” says Dr V Mohan, head of Madras Diabetes Research Foundation.

In fact, various studies have shown that women exercising outdoors are beset by problems, safety being the primary concern for most. Interestingly a lot of women also felt guilt over a self-indulgent activity like exercise and many did not feel confident of their bodies to workout in public. Some women claimed to not find time from household chores to engage in any other strenuous activity. This along with rigid family structures where permission must be sought from parents, in-laws and partners before stepping out, could also explain why exercise is still a privilege for many women.

In these circumstances, what is it like for a woman to get a bit of fresh air and exercise in India? We asked a few women across different parts of the country, to share their experiences.

DELHI

Photos by Menty Jamir

Anisha, 22, Student

Anisha visits the local park with her cousin Faiza, who is also 22-years-old, and tends to return home before it gets dark. But as a rule, both women feel safe in this space, where greenery and physical activity have greatly helped their mental health. Their workout attire is an extension of their daily wear. “We are used to wearing these clothes, so if we wear something else, we won’t feel comfortable while working out,” says Anisha.

Farhana, 46, Homemaker

“My daughter, Faiza, doesn’t like to come here alone so I come here in the evenings, with her and my niece, Anisha. Sometimes we are accompanied by my husband and my son. I come here because I enjoy the open space in this park, I like to breathe fresh air and it puts me in a good state of mind,” Farhana told Soup.

Lakshmi, 47, Works at a research centre

Charu Lata, 16, Student

This mother-daughter duo have always been health conscious and like working out, dancing, and yoga. “We play badminton at home and then workout alone or together. I like working out alone because when you workout with friends you end up gossiping so being alone gives me the space to concentrate,” says Lakshmi

Vambori Village, Ahmednagar District, Maharashtra

Photo by Aparna Varma

Kamal Varma, 51, Homemaker

“I wear a saree to my walks since I worry about what people will say. I would like to wear a track suit or a Punjabi suit if given a choice. Sarees are not restrictive for walks but I’m only wearing them because anything else won't be well received around me,” Kamal told Soup.

Kamal chooses lonelier stretches of road as she dislikes making small talk. However, she can’t quite get away alone, “I would’ve liked to walk alone but early into my marriage, when I’d walk alone, my husband’s friends would stop on their way to ask me if everything is okay, or if I need some help or why have I stepped out alone. This has been very embarrassing because I just wanted to go for a walk… So, I prefer walking with someone who can keep up the pace and focus on walking instead of talking.” 

MEGHALAYA

Photos by Junisha Khongwir

Laitlyngkot

Evashisha Rynjah, 23, Stay-at-Home Mother

“My village is safe to run in but people do look and stare- I usually ignore them and focus on my running,” says Evashisha who has always been athletic and enjoys her alone-time running. When asked if she picks a certain time to run, Evashisha dismisses such luxuries as she is raising two young boys, “now with my children, I don’t usually have a set timing, I run whenever I can find the time to do so. But preferably I love running during the evening it is usually calm and peaceful and I run along with the sunset.”

SHILLONG

Rajani Chhetri, 38, Lecturer

“No, I don’t feel completely safe, but since I am an outdoorsy person and since there is limited space for movement in my home, I prefer to venture out to open spaces. While I am working out, I have to be watchful of creeps and perverts especially towards the wee hours of the morning when there are comparatively fewer people on the street. I have had a couple of unpleasant incidents in the past. I have been stalked once and there was also an incident, when a man tried to flash me, while fondling himself. So, these things stay on the mind and while I try to keep my focus on my workouts, I am also vigilant of my surroundings and especially of men around,” Rajani tells us. She says that physical activity is crucial to her as it keeps her calm and focussed through the day. She adds that she finds Shillong Golf Course the safest space to exercise.

Aurangabad, Maharashtra

Photos by Shoeb Mashadi

“I am a dentist and a mother of two kids aged 3 and 8, so walking and exercise helps me keep my back strengthened and fit for my professional needs and also run around my kids and do other chores when at home,” says Najam, who prefers walking along a particular empty stretch of the park around 6pm when she’s done with her work. She likes this quiet stretch because she finds it peaceful, and she enjoys the time she spends by herself.

Najam Farooq Ali, 41, Dentist

“There are no restrictions from my home about my daily exercise, but usually when I do go out alone I like to notify people at home if  I am going for a walk because there’s always a sense of worry that looms over our heads with regards to safety, for you never know what could happen when. In fact at home we encourage each other to keep fit.”

MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA

Photos by Zahra Amiruddin

Sandhya Ankush Ghai, 60, Homemaker

“I am a life-member at a gym opposite my house, and I also do yoga in the park everyday before I come here to use the equipment. This is my time pass. Besides my grandchildren are studying for their board exam years, and in Mumbai we have small kholis. So, if I stay indoors, I feel like I’m disturbing them. I also feel bored working out alone at home, I prefer meeting my friends and collectively exercising,” Sandhya tells Soup as she shows a video of her from before the pandemic, climbing nimbly on ropes, an activity she has always loved. Has she ever felt concerned about her safety? “I don’t feel odd or awkward because I’m used to swimming with men in the same pool since I was a kid,” she says as she resumes her exercise routine.

Shama Kher, 54, Works at an NGO

Shama, an avid fitness enthusiast has never felt intimidated about working out in public. “I find that when one woman is confident enough to confront the men who are staring at her during her routine, larger number of women find solace in that and feel confident to work out. I have confronted a voyeur and exhibitionist myself and called the cops on him. The one thing I feel uncomfortable doing is meditating in public. I don’t know what it is, but when I’m alert, I guess I feel safer, and meditating involves closing your eyes,” she told Soup.

Shama believes there’s a need for more women to occupy public spaces, “I think working out outdoors is a good way to be able to reclaim your space as a woman. It’s unfortunate that it’s on us to reclaim a space that’s equally ours, but if we don’t start, nothing will change.”

Shilpa Ketkar, 64, Retired Teacher

“I joined the laughter club because I’m now a retired primary school teacher for the BMC, and doing the class helps me battle loneliness,” said Shilpa whose laughter club is now conducted on Zoom calls.

“Now that the lockdown has eased-up a bit, I come to this park while my friends join the link from home. It’s also a reason for me to get out. My friends are a support system and also an incentive for me to come here everyday.”

Zahra Padamsee, 29, Lawyer

“Ideally, I would love to swim. If swimming was more accessible, I would be much more regular with my exercise. As a child, I swam very often at the National Sports Club of India. Once puberty hit though, it got awkward, even in a normal one piece black swimsuit. I would get stared at, constantly – when I got into the pool, when I got out. Under water too, there were always people (men) trying to look down my swimsuit. I couldn’t do it anymore, which was sad because I love the water. So instead, I tried going for walks to nearby parks, as parks felt safer. Apart from plain old walking though, I couldn’t do anything else. Stretches? Afraid of clothes riding up; Squats? Hear a sleazy comment, whistle or Bollywood song. Yoga in the park? Forget it.” Due to these reservations, these days, Zahra prefers to workout at home.

LUCKNOW, UP

Photos by Jigyasa Mishra

Anuradha Singh, 44 & Sakshi Singh, 46, Homemakers

“We come at this hour as this is the only time we get to ourselves before indulging in the daily chores. And also because, more women come at this time (6-7am),” Anuradha and Sakshi talk over and across each other to explain their love for this park and their daily exercise routine here.

Both women prefer wearing a salwar-kurta with dupatta, while working out, “that is what a mother in her 40s usually wears, be that while cooking or driving or even exercising,” Sakshi explains.

When asked if they’d work out alone, Sakshi and Anuradha who are best friends say, “honestly, we would not find it safe if we weren’t coming together.” They further add that they’d never visit the park without each other, “we skip coming here if one of us is unable to come due to some reasons.”

EDAYANCHAVADI/AUROVILLE TAMIL NADU

Photos by Priyadarshini Ravichandran

Chitra, 60, Music Teacher

Chitra often comes to Edayanchavadi to visit her daughter, over her many visits she’s found a dear friend in Kamala, who lives in Auroville. Every evening she likes to joins Kamala and a group of women from neighbouring villages to play badminton, something that she’s picked up only recently. While there, she sheds her inhibitions and plays like a child.

Kamala, 51, Heads a community distribution store

Selva and Kamala team up to play badminton

Kamala had two difficult years during menopause where she felt constantly fatigued and unwilling to socialise. Towards the end of the second year, she decided to change things around. Her yoga teacher and doctor suggested she exercise, so she began to run every day and also invited her friends from the surrounding villages to play badminton every evening. “This has become a bonding ritual for us; we take a break from work and home every evening around 5:30pm, to have a good time. Some Sundays are ‘games-days’ (carrom-followed by badminton- cricket and a long walk),” says Kamala. This has become a space for community building and time-out to attend to themselves and their bodies.

GOA

Photo by Suyash Kamat

Swezial D’Souza, 19, Professional Athlete

“Running has always set me free,” says Swezial who has been training for many years now. “During the lockdown, we ran on the road in the mornings and evenings since the track was closed. So whenever it rained, it was very cumbersome to run with a t-shirt as it would become so heavy. So I’d often feel like removing it and running in my athletics clothes. But when I did that, people just keep staring at me throughout. Why can’t it be normal to run like that? But I never cared for them because when I’d run long distances it got very difficult so I’d just remove the t-shirt above. Ultimately you have to bring about the change,” she says.

Swezial who has represented Goa nationally is currently applying for an undergrad in Sociology, but she doesn’t wish to give up running. “I really want to do something for my state and for my country. I don't want to have any regrets,” she told Soup.

Story by Meera Ganapathi