Two years short of 100, Former Mr Universe Manohar Aich still hits the gym regularly for his dose of dips and squats and to teach aspiring bodybuilders.
Standing less than five feet tall, Manohar Aich greets you with a toothless smile. But don’t let his age or his height fool you. At 98, Aich has more fire in his belly than most youngsters less than one-third his age. It’s not for nothing that they call him “Pocket Hercules”.
Sitting in his gym, Studio De Physique, on the outskirts of Kolkata some kilometres from the international airport, Aich’s life still revolves around dips, squats, bench press and curls. On basic gym equipment, he continues to teach young men the art of bodybuilding — a passion which has made him a living legend.
This diminutive, 4 foot-11 inch man won the Mr Universe title in London back in 1952. A year before that he was the runners-up. And in 1960, at the age of 47, he came fourth in the Mr Universe contest. Ask him about the secret of his health and he says, “I am never too lazy to exercise.” Born at Comilla village in Bangladesh in 1912, Aich still remembers how inspired he was by local boys who would practise with sticks and dumbbells in the maidans.
“I started by just doing dips and squats. Later it became the secret of my success,” he says. His talent was soon spotted and in 1941 he was asked to become the fitness trainer in the Air Force (then the Royal Air Force). But an unpleasant incident brought that stint to an abrupt end. In Bangalore, Aich slapped a senior official who he said was ill treating his colleagues. The bodybuilder was jailed for 12 years.
“In Alipore jail, when the guards saw him doing dips and squats using the jail grill, they first thought it was an attempt to escape,” recalls Bani Banerjee, Aich’s daughter who is 71. “Later, when they realised that he was a bodybuilder, special provisions were made for him. Alipore jail still has some of the equipment which my father used to exercise.”
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Once out of jail, Aich struggled to earn a living. Though he got work as a physical training instructor at Jadavpur Engineering College, Aich, a matriculate, was not satisfied. He was looking for greater goals. “Then I saw an advertisement for the Mr Universe competition in an American magazine and raised money to participate in it by doing shows. Once I won the title, I started Studio De Physique and now want to train youngsters for as long as I live,” says Aich.
So does he follow a special diet regime? “He eats like any other person,” says Banerjee. “He likes to have rice and Bengali dishes, along with milk and banana.” Showing off his biceps, Aich quips, “Look, I never fall ill. I have never got hospitalised, except for the time I had malaria. I can still exercise in my gym. What more does a person want?”
Every year, local authorities organise a competition to remind the people of Kolkata about the contributions of Aich, who, at 98, is as young as ever.
