Mumbai’s biggest indoor swimming pool in Parel reopens to the public

Mumbai rsquos largest indoor swimming pool mdash measuring 50m in length and 185m in breadth mdash at the Maharashtra Kamgar Krida Bhavan complex in Parel was filling up with both recreational and competitive swimmers when midday visited the recently reopened facility on a weekday eveningWith a deep end plunging 12 feet and a shallow end measuring three feet the pool water gleamed topaz blue Recreational swimmers many using flotation devices were being coached in the shallower end while their competitive counterparts entered soon afterCoach coolOlympian swimmerturnedcoach Virdhawal Khade was prepping students The athlete won a bronze medal in the 50m butterfly at the 2010 Asian Games and is an Arjuna Award recipientVirdhawal Khade Olympian athlete and swimming coachHe said pointing to the sparkling facility ldquoThe pool was reopened to the public on November 1 It is not Olympicsized strictly speaking as for an Olympic pool the length is 50m which this pool is However the width is 25m we have 185m here a 65m differencerdquo smiled Khade who is head coach of the eponymous Khade Aquatics ldquoIt is Mumbairsquos biggest indoor pool though as most of our indoor pools are 25m in lengthrdquoAwake nowThe pool within the complex has come to life after a few years It had shuttered during the COVID pandemic and later remained closed after cases declined because of renovation The cityrsquos largest indoor pool also has a roofThe roof above is in keeping with the aesthetics of the swimming pool complex design PICSSHADAB KHANThis closes it off from several highrise buildings that have recently sprouted in the area part of the transformation of a space which was once the beating heart of Mumbairsquos mill landscape ldquoThe roof gives privacy for the swimmers especially the womenrdquo said Khade along with Ahmed Ansari founder of Sportiqo Swim School who trains recreational swimmers and holds learn to swim classes at the poolUpgrade workThere is a significant number of recreationalfitness swimmers ldquoSome signed up recently after learning about our sprucedup pool and trainingrdquo said Ansari The pool is part of the larger upgradation of the entire Kamgar complex ldquoThis is one of the few public pools that are accessible because of its location It is close to a number of public transport hubs and the fees are reasonable Club memberships have gone through the roof Indiarsquos swimming talent still comes from smaller spaces When swimmers move to bigger cities like Mumbai for instance in training pools like Kamgar prove affordablerdquo said KhadeBeginners at the shallow end of the Kamgar Krida Bhavan pool in ParelThe swimming coach who is from Kolhapur added ldquoStruggle comes naturally to swimmers from smaller places Often their first swimming pool is a lake or a pond near their home Then of course they need to graduate to swimming pools and specialised coaching Moving to cities like Mumbai to train means accommodation is extremely challenging An accessible pool at least takes one thing off onersquos mindrdquoMill willThough Parel was still a lsquomill addressrsquo years ago and not a swank newage commercialresidential location with glassfronted buildings most with vertigoinducing monthly rents the accent is on lsquoKamgarrsquo or labour said Labour Welfare Commissioner of the Maharashtra Labour Welfare Board MLWB Bhaskar Maruti MoradeldquoLabourers still have to pay a very nominal fee to access these facilities Our aim is to produce sports champions from this category At the same time we are also catering to another demographicrdquo explained the commissioner along with MLWB Board Public Relations Officer PRO Manoj R Bagale The duo added ldquoOur swimming facilities for instance are now floodlit as corporates who become members may find it convenient to come in here after office hours to swim We are in the process of upgrading every facet of the Bhavan Its core remains constant mdash a sporty and cultural hub for workers and the larger public We have a library and an art gallery the latter is also in the process of a facelift The label lsquoKamgarrsquo is riddled with stereotypes with many believing that amenities for workers will be substandard Funds are not a huge problem We are working towards smashing stereotypes about substandard Kamgar with upgradation in general standards across the complexrdquoThis Bhavan just got an archery facility and a shooting range Work is on for a cafeteria in the building complex The swimming pool has seen approximately 200 enrolments since it reopened this month with flashy changing rooms also indicative of the faceliftWhatrsquos new at KamgargtgtArchery rangegtgtRifle rangegtgtIndoor swimming poolgtgtLibrarygtgtArt gallerygtgtKickboxing spaceFor swimming pool membership details call9892124536 9892127669