VELLORE: As music echoes through a small studio in Vellore’s Gandhi Nagar, women of different ages move together, laughing, sweating and cheering one another on. For many, this one hour of zumba is not just exercise — it is the time they finally give themselves.
Among them is 50-year-old SR Gouthami, a government employee who has been attending classes for the past 18 months. Despite her busy schedule, she makes it a point to show up. “Earlier, I had knee pain, my muscles were stiff and I could not sit on the floor. But now I am finding the changes after taking zumba,” she said.
Guiding the class is Parvathi Raj, a 29-year-old zumba trainer whose journey into fitness was unexpected. Originally from Karnataka, Parvathi moved to Vellore a decade ago and worked as an electrical engineer. After quitting her job, she joined an aerobics class, where trainers encouraged her to teach. Determined to be properly qualified, she went to Chennai and earned certifications in aerobics, personal training and zumba. She began taking classes in 2015. She is now the only certified woman trainer in town.
“At that time, women in Vellore didn’t come out much. People didn’t know what zumba was or why it was important for women. Even gyms didn’t know about it,” Parvathi recalled. Despite the challenges, she continued as a freelancer before opening her own studio, PR Fit Fusion, in 2024. Today, the studio has 60 to 70 students from all age groups.
The studio has evolved into a safe space where women connect beyond dance — sharing conversations about health, family, food and life. Sarala, a 60-year-old housewife and the oldest student, travels from Thottapalayam on her two-wheeler. “It’s far, but I still make it. I have made many friends here,” she said.