Survival of the fittest

Dr Harshal Gadikar is 40-years-old and loves to keep fit. There are at least more 30 odd 'youngsters' like him who love to be active and fit. He, along with Mahesh Khedkar, Rahul Gaikwad, Vijaya Wagh and Avinash Neelkanth meet regularly on weekends at the Park Avenue sports ground in Aundh. Kiran Dani, also a resident of Park Avenue takes immense interest in maintaining the ground and the adjoining garden.
This ground, too, is a unique one, for this one was not made by any corporator or any political party but was made by many such sport enthusiasts all in the age group of above 40.
"This used to be a barren land belonging to Park Avenue residents and we approached them to give it to us to make a good football field. Every resident of the societies in Park Avenue, Wireless Colony and nearby residences came together to work towards turning this barren land into one of the best football grounds where residents jog, run and gear up for a friendly football match.
"Sometimes even youngsters envy us when they watch us play and even root for their grandfathers/ fathers as they run for the ball," says Avinash Nilkanth, resident of Wireless Colony. "The idea is to make the people self-reliant and pursue things that they enjoy naturally. We have many people who come from athletics background and are thrilled to practice and enjoy the sport at their pace," he informs.
Fitness is very important for all these men and women. "It is important to be fit and live life in a natural way instead of living off medicines," says Vijaya Wagh, a resident of Darshan Park. "If you do an hour's workout and exercise, it will prevent you from being dependentent on others."

--Prachi bari