Over 100 people assembled under the Gandhi statue on Mayo Road in the heart of the city on Tuesday afternoon for a “peaceful” protest against the government’s decision to keep gyms shut.
The protesters included gym owners, trainers, staff and patrons. Some of the participants were not directly part of any gym but their livelihood was dependent on the fitness industry.
The chorus that gyms should be treated as centres of preventive healthcare, not as selfie zones for getting a cosmetic makeover, has been growing louder. Adding insult to injury, fitness enthusiasts said, was the government’s revised notification, allowing salons and beauty parlours to open with a 50 per cent cap but keeping gyms shut.
The protesters came with posters and banners. “Getting a massage is ok. But training for your health is not,” said one of the posters.
“It is sad that the government is seeing gyms as luxury. But these places have a functional value. There are so many people with health issues — from back problems to obesity. For them, workout is like oxygen,” said Sunny Mishra, strength and conditioning coach.
Jayanta Guha, who owns two gyms in Dunlop and Baranagar on the northern fringes of Kolkata, was among the protesters. “I have over 20 people working at the two gyms. Their livelihoods are at stake. I feel so helpless,” said Guha.
Gagan Sachdev, the owner of the Karma Fitness Studio chain and a member of the Gym Owners’ Forum, said more than a dozen gyms had to shut down for good in Kolkata in 2021.
“Rent and bills form the two main components of the fixed costs of the owners. The past two years have already bled us white financially and another prolonged shutdown would be the death blow.”
The protesters assembled around 2pm and stayed put for a good couple of hours.
Irani Chatterjee, who works with a company that makes protein supplements, participated in Tuesday’s protest. “I have been supplying gyms across Bengal. But the past two years have been nightmarish. Now, just when things were looking bright, here we are,” said Chatterjee.
The protesters issued an appeal to the government to reconsider their earlier stance and allow gyms to re-open in a staggered way. “On Thursday, we will have five rallies at five areas in and around Kolkata,” said Sachdev. Around two lakh people were dependent on gyms for their livelihood, the petition said.