Mumbai: This Ulwe fitness group shows age is no barrier to energy and positivity

Hum Hindustani Group practising yoga at Ulwe’s Sector 9 garden

Every morning at dawn, while the city is still stretching awake and the Ulwe breeze carries the last whispers of the night, Sector 9's open ground transforms into a place where laughter rings louder than age, yoga mats double as healing spaces, and where a vibrant group of senior citizens proves every single day that life after 60 isn't slowing down - it's a new start.

Over the past four years, the Hum Hindustani Group has become the heartbeat of Ulwe. Around 40-50 members, aged 15 to 82 gather every morning for yoga, breathing exercises, clapping therapy, laughter yoga, and emotional bonding. Sundays are reserved for free Zumba sessions, followed unapologetically by samosa and jalebi parties, because, as the group happily says, "Fitness means balance, not punishment."

Their message to young India - where heart attacks among 30-50-year-olds are rising at a frightening pace - is simple: "If we can stay fit and energetic at 60 plus, why can't you at 30?"

Four years ago, when Sector 9 was still a quiet, developing pocket, Samarth Solanki, 66, saw people living isolated lives. "I started this group to unite people through health and happiness. We celebrate every festival together, because fitness is not only about the body, it's about being part of a community. In four years, we have done seven picnics at Murud-Janjira Fort, Alibaug, Kashid Beach, Elephanta Caves, the Rock Garden, and even a two-day trip to Daman. But my biggest achievement is hearing people say they overcame depression, paralysis, diabetes or loneliness because of this group," he says.

One of the most inspiring journeys is that of Vikas Jha, 58, who arrives at the ground every day smiling. "I was half paralysed on my right; when I joined the group in April, I couldn't even lift my hand. But this group never treated me like a patient. They treated me like family. Today I move freely. I feel alive again."
Others talk about how they beat asthma and diabetes, or battled depression and grief with exercise and a sense of community from Hum Hindustani.

Their Zumba coach Sneha, says, "I don't come here just to make them dance - I come to make them feel alive," she says.