Running is one of the easiest and most economical activities. It is so fundamental that it literally gets you naturally high. When you run, your body releases mood-altering endorphins. However, being able to do the activity in favourable conditions – with proper infrastructure, good weather, and greenery – is a privilege, as Namratha, an Instagram user, points out.
On July 3, Namratha, an Indian woman living in the US and an avid runner, expressed how lucky she feels to go for a run in areas with AQI readings in the single digits, footpaths she can use, and green spaces. A privilege, she feels, that her friends in India don’t get to enjoy.
Sharing the video, she wrote, “Before my first run in Seattle last month, I was so crabby about it drizzling. And I got the death stare from my sister – ‘these are PERFECT running conditions’. Sometimes you don’t realise how good you have it until someone points it out to you. Runners, what’s something about where you run that you take for granted, or wish were better?”
‘For me, this is the privilege…’
According to her, every time people back in India ask how she survives without a domestic worker or a Swiggy order that arrives in five minutes, she tells them about the freedom she enjoys of living in an area that is not polluted and safe.
In the video, where she can be seen enjoying an evening run, Namratha shared that she finished work around 5 and was now running near her neighbourhood.
Pointing out how this privilege is only enjoyed by those living in gated communities in India, she shared, “I just got done with work, and I am on a run right now. For me, this is the privilege. Getting done with work at 5:00 with enough daylight and energy left, running in a park around a lake because public spaces are accessible for everyone and not just for those living in gated communities. Breathing air with an AQI in single digits, footpaths that I can actually use, and green space just everywhere”
She added, “This is also why I have so much respect for my friends running in India, because they run through the humidity, heat, bad AQI, traffic, lack of footpaths, literally everything working against them, and they still get their runs in.”
How did the internet react?
The video garnered mixed reactions online; while some users understood Namratha’s perspective, others took her comments personally and as an insult against India.
One Instagram user commented, “Meh. I just ordered a new cooker and a gas stove and it got delivered in the time it took for me to cut vegetables and soak dal. Plus, I can get someone to do all my house chores in under 20 minutes for ₹150. So IDK dude, I guess I’ll just run on a treadmill.”
Another user commented, “People being dependent on casteist labour structures is not a privilege I would flex.” Someone else wrote, “Breathable Air >>>>> Swiggy and Zomato.”
A user wrote, “Very well said, Namratha. This is the privilege!! This is exactly how I feel.”
Note to readers: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
