Colaba gets a garden gym for people with different abilities

TNN / rutuja gaidhani / Updated: Jun 11, 2023, 07:54 IST

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A garden gym catering to individuals with different abilities was inaugurated in Colaba on Saturday morning, making it the first of its kind for the locality. The opening ceremony was at the BMC garden by Makarand Narwekar, ex-corporator, along with members of the Inner Wheel Club of Bombay Bayview.

Colaba gets a garden gym for people with different abilities

The opening ceremony of the garden gym in Colaba

MUMBAI: A garden gym catering to individuals with different abilities was inaugurated in Colaba on Saturday morning, making it the first of its kind for the locality. The opening ceremony was at the BMC garden by Makarand Narwekar, ex-corporator, along with members of the Inner Wheel Club of Bombay Bayview.
The primary objective of this collaborative effort between citizens and BMC was encouraging those with special needs to use and take advantage of the equipment.The entire process, from ideation to implementation of the project, was completed in under a month.
There were over 35 attendees, including citizens, elected representatives and individuals with special needs. Hira Naik, 55, who uses a wheelchair, thanked Narwekar and said, "Atrocities done to people like us must stop. We always have to be cautious. Why must people take advantage because of how we are?"
Meera Kanojia, 44, happy about the initiative, added, "I live in Cuffe Parade. The street outside my house is so small that my wheelchair also doesn't fit. It is a struggle; hence, I stay at home most of the time. Now, I have a place to come to."

The brainchild of Narwekar, the space is equipped with four machines, accessible to everyone. "There are many such garden-gyms for us, but there is very little thought that goes into considering the specially-abled. Wherever such equipment is installed for people, individuals with different abilities must also be able to use them," Narwekar said.
Narwekar, also stressed on strengthening public-private partnership, suggesting that software must be taken from private partners and the hardware, like finance, can be provided by BMC.
Sonia Gupta, club president, said, "The garden has no entry fee. It is open to everyone, making it a perfect spot for such an initiative."
This collaboration also added fencing, tiled the base for wheelchairs, got the exterior of the entire garden repainted and pillars renovated. "We had to ensure people who are different from us don't miss out on exercise," added Bela Shah, local resident and organiser.

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