SRINAGAR: In the volatile downtown Srinagar, frequently in the news for protests and incidents of stone-pelting, a mother of two is creating ripples with her gym-cum-fitness centre for women.
‘Fitness Solution’, located in the Khanyar area which is just a kilometre from the historic Jamia Masjid, an area rife with unrest, is the brainchild of Aaliya Farooq. Being a fitness expert herself, Aaliya felt the need for an exclusive health centre for women as they did not go to gyms run by men.
“I took over this gym-cum-health club in 2012 after undergoing physical fitness training in Delhi. It was earlier being run by a male trainer. But after I took over, I trained the women myself,” she says.
Aaliya, who is not just the owner but also trains those who come to the centre, says they find it more comfortable to work out and discuss things with a woman. “They never hesitate in discussing any issue, which they could not have discussed with a male trainer.”
When Aaliya decided to take over the gym and run it for women, she had her family’s wholehearted support. “It has been because of their help that I have been able to run the gym,” says Aaliya, whose husband is also a fitness trainer.
The centre caters to women of every age group. “Young women, including students, office goers, housewives as well as old women have enrolled in my gym,” she said.