Netizens across the nation have recently been captivated by pictures and videos emerging from an event in Bengaluru. Over a 1,000 women, dressed in sarees and sneakers of all colours, were seen participating in a marathon at 18th Cross, Malleshwaram Grounds, Bengaluru. The organisers of the event have reportedly revealed that this particular group of women took to running, jogging and walking through the marathon in order to break one of the biggest myths associated with fitness—that you can engage in fitness activities only in Western wear.
An aeronautical engineer, Sanjeev, attended the event and posted images and videos of the saree-clad women on Twitter. The shared Tweets went on to garner thousands of likes, retweets and comments. Sanjeev reported that the event was organised by the Jayanagar Jaguars, one of the largest running academies in Bengaluru. The event was exclusively organised to promote women who feel most comfortable in sarees to walk, jog and run a distance of three to five kilometres on September 18, 2022.
The organisers revealed that many women feel that fitness activities are a privilege for those who wear activewear, shorts and other fitness wear. This limits them severely from participating in fitness activities themselves. The event was a method of helping the women gain confidence, while busting these stereotypes at the same time.