Recently I had written about my weight loss and the many reasons I really dislike about gyms. Those were my hurdles, however I must say gym has taught me to be lot more tolerant. I’ve learnt about people lot more. I love to observe and hence I keep my eyes and ears open. It really has taught me to be less judgemental and every day I say, thank god for being the way I am, god bless for the parents I have and that i choose the decisions i make. There are all sorts who come to gym and believe me those who come to get ‘fit’ are an absolute minority.

Among the youngsters who come to the gym are mostly girls who want to get into the marriage scene. Either they’ve registered with bureaus, engaged or want to get, and they are the first to give free advice on how one should be religious about diet, how one should eat small portions. Like I said free advice, forget the fact that post marriage they are NOT seen few millimetres near any gym! The young men about to get married are what they are, trying to attract attention. Vests, tattooed arms, bulging muscles, who at that age believe their body odour is saxee (aarghhh) and will begin carrying deo bottles in their 40s, after being forced by wife to travel some countries around the world. They will eye young girls and women older than them.

The most interesting bit is about older women who come to the gym. There are docile wives of old men who accompany them, diligently work out, slow ofcourse, due to age. While their horny old husbands will flirt, charm their way through women’s groups at the gym, cracking jokes, talking till cows come home, did I say work out? Aah, well it is to be forgotten. These are the types whom I have caught staring at women through gym mirrors too!

Then are the younger wives, bubbly, getting good sex, still starry-eyed about marriage. Cooing on the phone when their husbands call, after many reminders from this rather young bride. They will shyly ask why they called so late. The speed of the exercise varies with the conversation and emotions attached to the interaction. For eg if the husband has time on hand and realises this is the ultimate call to speak to the wife, he will talk horny to her, she exercises fast, giggles and we around see it. Then in between she is trying to get Her point across the speed is real slowwww. The gym music has absolutely no effect, believe me. And yes, did I mention we have a view to die for, the Arabian Sea, so it adds to the romantic mood.

A young college girl meanwhile has ‘her guy,’ as they are addressed, besides many other ‘dudes’ on her WA and BBM. She will always be accompanied by a newly made fraand at the gym or from her neighbourhood. Arre, forget gym, it is rich father’s money being channelised to chat non-stop on WA and BBM. With plenty of calls “wassup, aaj kya plan hai? Pata hai tumhe usne kya kaha…haan yaar…hahaha…” and the conversations are interspersed with “sorry sir/ma’m, urgent phone hai..” IF by a remote chance any trainer asks them why they’ve been so long on the phone. Forget the fact there are notices put up everywhere saying “talking on the cellphone in the gym while exercising is not permitted,” joking or what?

Then there are those richie-rich who deal, negotiate on the cell like we’ve never heard before. And yes, they stand or sit looking straight into the mirro. “haan gym mei hu, cycle pe hu, I can talk..” or “arre yeh deal pass hua? Nahi? Kitna paisa boley?” and they will fidget caressing their mane, side-locks…

Then there are those many, rather majority, who really intrigue me, the housewives who are either bored or live in joint families. They come to the gyms to get a breather. Gym is ‘my time’ and we are so lucky those who understand it and choose it. There are many like these who have absolutely no idea about me-time. These are women who have never been given the opportunity or made to realise time for themselves is very important. So it shouldn’t be held against them when they come to the gym they seem clueless about exercise regime. They are interested in food, cuisines, gossip, talking non-stop about the pathetic lives they lead, many who are very well-off but now suddenly announce to me, “we want to have an extra-marital affair,” or the richer ones who sit there for 2 whole hours daily not realising this is time with their bodies, with themselves.It is really sad, they are mothers, grand parents, who have been ‘ideal’ wives, mothers, daughters-in-law, still toiling to get the approval and have never given attention to their bodies, to their minds, to their own needs and moreover no channelling of their emotions.

So here they discuss everything from affairs of Bollywood stars, their abortions, juicy gossip you and me would not have heard of, the inside stories of many a businessman’s family, who is swinging or having a torrid affair with, who has how many diamonds and shows off and who has that class of not bragging it around.

And there are those newly-travelled Indian housewives who has suddenly become ‘aware’ of fitness. Who has time at hand, as their husbands are busy minting money, who believe they know-it-all and will tell you as though their word is the seal. So be it marriage, sex, men, clothes, politics. They are first to tell, ‘gym is my passion,’ Hi5, because they are busy judging these all above women who at least come to unload their emotional baggage. These ones are the closeted ones, who hide their sorrows, who are obsessed with their looks and then have a word on all others around them. To the extent, they come and stand next to the members working out and talk about whether one is ‘looking’ thin, has lost weight or not, how others waste their time, are not interested and shouldn’t be here. Well, these are the first ones who need a shrink.

I am NOT including the loud ones who are only nuisance value in all gyms, or those young guys who go around calling every woman older than him as ‘aunty.’ They will fall into one of the above categories, they are still in infant stage, don’t know where to fit themselves. All in all, gym is just the reflection of our society. It really tells you the kind of upheavals that are occurring in our society. I always thank these women for giving me an insight into our society, about how pathetic is the status of a woman even today!