Dinaz Vervatwala : A tale of grit and determination
Ever wondered what it takes to make it big in life? A bit of inspiration, zeal to not drift, the magic potion of immense hard work and of course some incredible courage.
Meet Jamshedpur-born Dinaz Vervatwala, a true example of grit and determination. Born to a middle class Parsi family and studied at Sacred Heart Convent in Jamshedpur, Dinaz has brought laurels to his hometown by achieving rare feats.
She has not only been fitness trainer of badminton championship Saina Nehwal but also won 3rd runner’s up title of the Miss Fitness Universe pageant held at Rio de Janeiro held in 2011.
Today she is considered to be one of the pioneers in introducing aerobics fitness and is a Guinness Book of World Records holder for completing 26 hours of non-stop aerobic marathon.
“Life has been a rollercoaster ride for me. I am really happy to back in the city of my roots. After my schooling in Jamshedpur I moved to Mumbai. I started off my career as a chartered accountant in Mumbai. But, at the age of 22, I shifted to Hyderabad and became a fitness trainer. Today I run a programme ‘Weight Loss Xtreme’ and has around 70 trainers working under me,” said Dinaz, who on Friday addressed a session for women at Little Hearts Play School.
Her journey into fitness started when her sister in law had come from Yemen who was a fitness trainer there. She inspired her to become a fitness expert.
“With the help of my husband, I started my first fitness center in 1993. Aerobics was barely known then. It took me six months to get one customer. My passion succeeded and we kept growing and moving to bigger houses to meet our requirements,” Dinaz recalled.
“As I grew myself in fitness area, Saina Nehwal’s coach Pullela Gopichand approached me for health sessions. Saina was 13 year old at that time and had issues related to fat. I trained her over the years to become fit. Today I feel to have been her fitness trainer,” said Dinaz.
However, the turning point in her life came when in February, 2005, she met with a fire accident. She succumbed to 53% burns including lung burns when the leakage from the gas cylinder in her kitchen led to a huge explosion. The doctors had declared that chances of my survival were grim.
“I still remember my days of struggle. I fought back. I set small targets for myself and was determined to get back to normal life. I was back at work after three months. Started going back on air for TV shows and business was as usual,”said Dinaz, with a smile. She said that through her life experiences she inspires others to lead life with determination.
Question her about her hometown she says “I have my aunt still living in Jamshedpur and I make sure that I visit the city every year. Though the city has become crowded but the warmth of people living her is the same”.
