Kamgar Stadium pool, in Parel that was shuttered during COVID and then for renovations, finally opens doors to public; with a deep end plunging 12 feet and a shallow end measuring three feet, the pool water gleamed topaz blue
Swimmers fly off the diving blocks at the Kamgar Krida Bhavan pool in Parel. PICS/SHADAB KHAN
Mumbai ’s largest indoor swimming pool — measuring 50m in length and 18.5m in breadth — at the Maharashtra Kamgar Krida Bhavan complex in Parel was filling up with both recreational and competitive swimmers when mid-day visited the recently reopened facility on a weekday evening.
With 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 after.
Coach cool
Olympian swimmer-turned-coach 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 recipient.
Virdhawal Khade, Olympian athlete and swimming coach
He said, pointing to the sparkling facility, “The pool was reopened to the public on November 1. It is not Olympic-sized, strictly speaking, as, for an Olympic pool, the length is 50m, which this pool is. However, the width is 25m, we have 18.5m here, a 6.5-m difference,” smiled Khade, who is head coach of the eponymous Khade Aquatics. “It is Mumbai’s biggest indoor pool, though, as most of our indoor pools are 25m in length.”
Awake now
The 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 city’s largest indoor pool also has a roof.
The roof above is in keeping with the aesthetics of the swimming pool complex design. PICS/SHADAB KHAN
This closes it off from several high-rise buildings that have recently sprouted in the area, part of the transformation of a space which was once the beating heart of Mumbai’s mill landscape. “The roof gives privacy for the swimmers, especially the women,” said Khade, along with Ahmed Ansari, founder of Sportiqo Swim School, who trains recreational swimmers and holds learn to swim classes at the pool.
Upgrade work
There is a significant number of recreational/fitness swimmers. “Some signed up recently, after learning about our spruced-up pool and training,” said Ansari. The pool is part of the larger upgradation of the entire Kamgar complex. “This 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. India’s swimming talent still comes from smaller spaces. When swimmers move to bigger cities like Mumbai, for instance, in training, pools like Kamgar prove affordable,” said Khade.
Beginners at the shallow end of the Kamgar Krida Bhavan pool in Parel
The swimming coach, who is from Kolhapur, added, “Struggle 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 one’s mind.”
Mill will
Though Parel was still a ‘mill address’ years ago and not a swank, new-age commercial-residential location with glass-fronted buildings, most with vertigo-inducing monthly rents, the accent is on ‘Kamgar’ or labour, said Labour Welfare Commissioner of the Maharashtra Labour Welfare Board (MLWB) Bhaskar Maruti Morade.
“Labourers 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 demographic,” explained the commissioner, along with MLWB Board Public Relations Officer (PRO) Manoj R Bagale. The duo added, “Our 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 — 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 ‘Kamgar’ 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 sub-standard Kamgar, with upgradation in general standards across the complex.”
This 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 facelift.
What’s new at Kamgar?
>>Archery range
>>Rifle range
>>Indoor swimming pool
>>Library
>>Art gallery
>>Kickboxing space
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