By Willie Gordon Suting
The opening of True North Leisure Centre at Mission Compound in Mawkhar is just timely for the city had been in need of a health and leisure centre these recent years.
Gone are the days when youths would head home from college and stress themselves with textbooks for the approaching exams. A 9 to 5 job for Shillong’s office goers leaves them mentally exhausted and tired. Housewives would be helplessly exhausted after the day’s responsibilities. For them, the leisure centre is an easy escape route from lassitude.
True North, inaugurated on March 24, seeks to improve health and fitness condition of Shillongites by providing them with the best facilities. The leisure centre has a controlled temperature swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, fitness gym and café.
The proprietors — Robinson Jyrwa, Lindsay Diengdoh and Gary Jarman Lamare — all in their forties, are best friends.
“The idea came just after graduating from college. We regularly swam in Crinoline Swimming Pool, but the water is cold there during winters. We put some thought into it and wondered if we can come up with a heated swimming pool,” says Jyrwa.
And yes the idea materialised. But it was not easy as the three had to do extensive research on internet perusing web pages and observing instructional videos. “We received no formal training in this field and didn’t attend workshops. It was just our sheer passion and curiosity to make it possible,” says Diengdoh.
Diengdoh and Lamare had previously worked as scuba diving instructors in Goa and were exposed to top swimming pools there. “Gary especially gathered a lot of knowledge as he resided there for a long time,” says Jyrwa.
Jyrwa is a businessman, and is the most articulate of the three. Lamare, currently in Goa for work, could not speak to Sunday Shillong. The trio hired a company from Chennai that manufactures heating systems. The company did the installation process.
The controlled temperature swimming pool will be a boon for local footballers and cricketers as it can help them recover from injuries with stretching of muscles. The jacuzzi helps relax muscles and the sauna helps with illnesses like arthritis, skin rejuvenation, sinus, blood circulation and muscles and joints relaxation.
But the job is not easy for Jyrwa, Diengdoh and Lamare as they have to regularly add chemicals like soda to maintain the PH level in the pool. Also, they have to regularly check PH levels of chlorine, alkalinity, TDF etc. “We maintain a temperature of 26 to 28 degrees for the swimming pool. For the jacuzzi we maintain a temperature of 35 to 38 degrees, and for the sauna a temperature of 60 degrees,” says Diengdoh.
Jyrwa, Diengdoh and Lamare prefer a hands on approach as one would mostly see them walking inside the premises to check for problems.
The leisure centre charges a membership fee of Rs 18,000 annually with an annual registration of Rs 6,000. The monthly fee is Rs 1,500. For non-members, Rs 200 is charged for two hours’ swimming. “We will soon have two trainers. And the gym equipment had also been purchased,” says Jyrwa.
Fitness is now a new trend and youths sporting joggers, sweatshirts, yoga pants and Nike Airmax shoes are often spotted on city roads following their daily regime of exercise or working out in gyms. A recent article by Sunday Shillong on local gyms revealed that there are many fitness buffs as members in the gyms.
“With the advent of social media and dance music videos on television, being health-conscious is now trending. Our youths want to look good physically,” says Diengdoh.
The members in True North Leisure Centre comprise an equal ratio of men and women. At present, there are about 70 members. The members can have access to all services provided by the organisation. There are about 30 to 40 non-member swimmers in a day and on weekends it increases to over a hundred.
“As you know, swimming is also a life-saving skill which is very beneficial. Anyone who has been advised by a physiotherapist to swim can visit this place,” says Jyrwa.
Jyrwa adds that the response so far has been positive with most people saying the leisure centre is what Shillong really needed. Diengdoh says they would think of coming up with more branches with the centre’s success in the long run.
The three proprietors also wanted to do charitable work with the place. The café is run by students of Providence School with all earnings generated being funded for the organisation.
Speaking to Sunday Shillong on a leisurely afternoon, 27-year-old Stephanie Nongkhlaw, a member, says, “After a long stressful day in office, this place helps me recuperate. We stare at the computer screen throughout the day, hence such centres providing therapy improve health.”
And the name of the centre too has purposeful connotations. True North is the geographical north point, which means having a fixed point or aim in life. It denotes being focused and determined despite encumbrances in life and never swaying from one’s goal.
“From learning to muster skills in the pool to recreation using the jacuzzi and sauna, this place gives utmost benefits at a reasonable price,” says 26-year-old Arkay Jyoti Das, another member.
Amit Agarwal praises the leisure centre for being a pioneer in the city. “We can do swimming only in summers in Shillong as it is a cold place. But here, we can swim all the year round. The staff are also very kind and helpful.”
