Just a few months ago, one of the Delhi Development parks in Dwarka Sector 10 saw several light gym equipment installed. It ranged from an elliptical trainer, a chest press, parallel bars to exer-cycle that were accompanied with short notes on how to use them.
While many residents would sit lazily in the park, their children started the equipment. Within days, the park was drawing maximum visitors, especially women who could do light exercises without a trainer while keeping track of their kids’ movements. Now that ground sees full attendance and queues of people wait to use the equipment throughout the day.
The equipment called Koofit were erected by Roben Dass, who thought out of the box to engage parents and children.
Dass, in his late 40s, manufactured Koochie Play and Gymming Systems, which he claims and proves through the documents, meet highest international safety standards and certifications by the prestigious EN1176. The Managing Director of Koochie, Dass was in the Capital this Saturday to introduce the equipment to the Delhi and Central Government to urge them to install these in all DDA parks for the safety of children as well as for public health.
At Silver Oak ground, India Habitat Centre, the equipments were displayed with a colourful zig-zag slide attracting children. A conclave on the same was attended by well known architects, engineers from NDMC/DDA, landscape designers, key policy makers, doctors and realtors. It showed interesting playgrounds designed on various themes from a dragon, boat, cargo, castle, village, water body – entwining them with puzzling routes to engage kids’ brains and limbs.
Dass has already taken the systems across four continents and created an infrastructure in France, Australia, Morocco, Lebanon, UAE, besides making its presence prominent in India across Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and Ahmedabad.
Reflecting over Delhi’s lackadaisical approach over children’s safety, especially in government-run parks, Dass said, “Most of the public parks in Delhi have unsafe play equipments, some are rusted, and some fragile. I doubt if any private or government institutions, education centres, private buildings, societies are even aware of the international safety norms that should be met while installing such equipment.
“A four-year-old girl died in Delhi in December last after falling off a weak swing that had come down. Aligarh’s exhibition ground saw several people dying as the sky-high swing lost its axis. In Delhi, if we apply to the government for installing such equipment in government parks, they take out the tender and go for the lowest bid, irrespective of the quality. How can one provide international standards then? It is a vicious circle.”
He adds that even countries like Sri Lanka are implementing safety norms for equipment. “How can we build smart cities without these,” he asks.
A recent World Health Organization report claims that by 2015 an estimated 2.3 billion adults worldwide would be overweight and more than 700 million obese. It has dubbed this epidemic as “globecity”, caused due to the urban lifestyle being restricted to glass cubicle habitation that will lead to severe health ailments. So it is perhaps time, as Dass puts it, “to bring people out of closets and help them lead a fit and safe life”.
