Dinaz Vervatwala: 'The Fitness Guru'

Dinaz has the distinction of launching Hyderabad’s first & at that time the only, exclusive fitness studio for women.In 1993, the foundation was laid for a brand that has become synonymous with fitness.Dinaz's has branches all over Hyderabad and its newly opened Himayatnagar branch is a state of the art full fledged aerobics studio.

Dinaz’s was built on the firm belief that women can be empowered to take charge of their lives by taking better care of their health. Working tirelessly towards this objective, the organization has touched the lives of thousands of women over the years, helping them live better, more fruitful, and ultimately more satisfying lives.

Dinaz Vervatwala 'The Shahnaz of fitness' was also quick to identify the growing need for qualified professional trainers in the country. Consequently, the organization introduced certification courses in Group Exercise Training and personal Training. The programmes conformed to the stringent standards laid down by the American College of sports medicine (the world’s foremost authority on fitness education). Alumni of these courses have found successful careers at leading gyms and aerobics studios in Hyderabad.

Dinaz's has established itself as Hyderabad’s premier fitness studio thereby setting a new benchmark for the fitness industry-bringing in global standards of quality and expertise.

Dinaz's Fitness Studios are equipped with world class facilities, the latest training gear, air-conditioned rooms and aerobic space, all surrounded in a warm and welcoming ambience.Its team of certified instructors, supported by dedicated and competent administrative staff, make it the most unique fitness studio in Hyderabad.

Born and brought up in Tatanagar, Dinaz did her schooling at Jamshedpur, and later left for Mumbai to pursue her under graduation in accountancy . She is a prime example of how zest and energy of life, coupled with a will to succeed can turn a person from a modest background into a super achiever.

A fire accident three years back, left her 60 per cent charred. She bounced back from that accident with sheer will power to build on the Rs 2-crore Dinaz brand and establish a countrywide footprint.

Dinaz's efforts has recently strengthened with the Gurgaon-based SMB consultant Milagrow picking up a stake in the company.

The organization has now evolved into a Private Limited Company, with a sleek, vibrant new visual identity. The new logo captures the essence of Dinaz ’s mantras – Fitness, Energy and Glamour – and reflects the organisation’s commitment to infuse well-being into the lives of every individual.

Very recently, this famous city aerobics instructor and founder of the most popular name in aerobics classes in Hyderabad, successfully completed her 26-hour marathon aerobics session that she started at the Secunderabad Polo Grounds on 9th jan 2010, and drew unflinching adulation from some of the biggest names around.

Performing on stage with shuffling groups of volunteers, Dinaz kept up with it for 26 hours in a row, smiling and energetic right till the end. Sporting a super-toned body that was beamed live across TV channels, the 40-something also provided inspiration to lakhs of women (and men) across the city and state suffering from weight and health issues, about what they can aspire for.

Dinaz's name will be in the next edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for this feat.

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Wangari Maathai, Nobel Laureate

Wangari Muta Maathai was born in Nyeri, Kenya (Africa) in 1940. The first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree. Wangari Maathai obtained a degree in Biological Sciences from Mount St. Scholastica College in Atchison, Kansas (1964). She subsequently earned a Master of Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh (1966). She pursued doctoral studies in Germany and the University of Nairobi, obtaining a Ph.D. (1971) from the University of Nairobi where she also taught veterinary anatomy. She became chair of the Department of Veterinary Anatomy and an associate professor in 1976 and 1977 respectively. In both cases, she was the first woman to attain those positions in the region.

Wangari Maathai was active in the National Council of Women of Kenya in 1976-87 and was its chairman in 1981-87. It was while she served in the National Council of Women that she introduced the idea of planting trees with the people in 1976 and continued to develop it into a broad-based, grassroots organization whose main focus is the planting of trees with women groups in order to conserve the environment and improve their quality of life. However, through the Green Belt Movement she has assisted women in planting more than 20 million trees on their farms and on schools and church compounds.

In September 1998, she launched a campaign of the Jubilee 2000 Coalition. She has embarked on new challenges, playing a leading global role as a co-chair of the Jubilee 2000 Africa Campaign, which seeks cancellation of the unpayable backlog debts of the poor countries in Africa by the year 2000. Her campaign against land grabbing and rapacious allocation of forests land has caught the limelight in the recent past.

Wangari Maathai is internationally recognized for her persistent struggle for democracy, human rights and environmental conservation. She has addressed the UN on several occasions and spoke on behalf of women at special sessions of the General Assembly for the five-year review of the earth summit. She served on the commission for Global Governance and Commission on the Future. She and the Green Belt Movement have received numerous awards, most notably The 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. Others include The Sophie Prize (2004), The Petra Kelly Prize for Environment (2004), The Conservation Scientist Award (2004), J. Sterling Morton Award (2004), WANGO Environment Award(2002) and many to state..

Maathai made a keynote speech on 15th December 2009 at the COPENHAGEN Summit held at Denmark. She is being designated as the United Nations Messenger of Peace. Her long record of achievement in environmental conservation and sustainable development made her an excellent choice.Messengers of Peace are internationally known figures who work to raise awareness of UN ideals and activities. Prof Maathai will be focusing in this capacity on climate change and environmental conservation.

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India's Top Business Women

Entrepreneur Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairman & Managing Director of Bioon Ltd., who became India's richest woman in 2004 (an estimated Rs.2,100 crore )~US$480 million), was educated at the Bishop Cotton Girls School and Mount Carmel College in Bangalore. She founded Biocon India with a capital of Rs.10,000 in her garage in 1978 - the initial operation was to extract an enzyme from papaya. Her application for loans were turned down by banks then - on three counts - biotechnology was then a new word, thecompany lacked assets, and (most importantly) women entrepreneurs were still a rarity. Today, her company is the bigget biopharmaceutical firm in the country. In 2006, Shaw caused a few Page 3 ruffles after a much hyped photograph showed her in an embraceand lip-lock with senior BJP leader Vasundhara Raje Scinidia.

Ekta Kapoor, creative head of Balajji Telefilms, is the daughter of actor Jeetendra, and sister of actor Tushar Kapoor. She has been synonymous with the rage of soap operas on Indian TV, after her most famous venture 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi', which started airing on STAR Plus in 2000. Ekta dominates Indian television, producing more than eight television soaps. At the 6th Indian Telly Awards 2006, she bagged the Hall of Fame award for her contributions. Most of her creations begin with the letter'K' due to her superstition that it brings her good luck.

Sunita Narain, an environmentalist and political activist as well as a major proponent of the Green concept of sustainable development, was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2005. Narain, who has been with the India-based Centre for Science and Environment since 1982, is currently the director of the Centre, and the director of the Society for Environmental Communications, and publisher of the fortnightly magazine, 'Down to Earth'.

Neelam Dhawan, Microsoft India managing director, leads Microsoft's sales and marketing operations in the country. A Stephenian (graduated in 1980), she passed out of Delhi's Faculty of Management Studies in 1982. Back then, while she was keen to join FMCG majors like Hindustan Lever and Asian Paints, both companies rejected Dhawan as they did not want to appoint women for marketing.

Naina Lal Kidwai was the first Indian woman to graduate from the Harvard Business School. Fortune magazine listed Kidwai among the World's Top 50 Corporate Women from 2000 to 2003. According to the Economic Times, she is the first woman to head the operations of a foreign bank in India (HSBC). Kidwai was awarded the Padma Shri this year.

Sulajja Firodia Motwani, Joint Managing Director of Kinetic Engineering Ltd., is in-charge of the company's overall business developmental activities. She is also the Director of Kinetic Motor Company Limited and Kinetic Marketing Services Limited. A fitness freak and avid sports enthusiast, she even played badminton at the national level. The magazine 'India Today' has honoured her with the title of business 'Face of the Millennium'. She was ranked among the top 25 business entrepreneurs of the country,and was also presented with the Society Young Achiever's Award for Business in 2002. The same year, she was chosen as the 'Global Leader of Tomorrow' by the World Economic Forum.

Mallika Srinivasan, Director of TAFE India (her husband is automobile tycoon Venu Srinivasan, CMD of TVS Motors) was named Businesswoman of the year in 2006. When she joined the company in 1986, its turnover was Rs.85 crore, and at the time of her award,TAFE and its allied companies were earning revenues of Rs.2,900 crore. A couple of years after her marriage in 1982, and less than a year after her daughter was born, Srinivasan went to Wharton to pursue her MBA. It's no surprise that TAFE also runs hospitals and schools. A serious votary of woman power, Srinivasan says women's contribution to society has often been underestimated.

Dr. Jatinder Kaur Arora, an outstanding scientist from Punjab, was conferred a national award for her work on women's development through science and technology. Dr. Arora, perhaps the first scientist to get such an award, is a doctorate in microbiology and has a brilliant academic record. An unlikely and fairly new contender on this list, she is serving as a joint director in the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology at present.

Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi, chairman and executive officer of PepsiCo, was according to Forbes magazine's 2006 poll, the fourth most powerful woman in the world. She was also named the #1 Most Powerful Woman in Business in 2006 by Fortune magazine. She got her bachelor's degree from Madras Christian College in 1974, entered the Business Diploma programme at the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, and later moved to the US to attend the Yale School of Management. Nooyi serves on the board of directors of several organizations, including Motorola, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the International Rescue Committee, and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Among her friends are former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who describes her as a 'wild New York Yankees fan'.

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