The original ‘Mr. Universe’ (1912–2016)
Manohar Aich, the first Indian to have bagged the Mr. Universe title in independent India in 1952, passed away at the ripe old age of 104 on 6 June 2016, in his Kolkata residence. In 2015, he was given the Banga Bibhushan Award by the West Bengal government. He was the second Indian (after Monotosh Roy in 1951) to win any Mr. Universe title and the first Indian to win the title post-Independence. He did so in the 1952 NABBA Universe Championships. At 4 feet 10 inches (1.50 m) tall, he was given the name “Pocket Hercules” because of his wonderful feats with his muscular and strong body that defied his height.
Born in 1912 in Bangladesh’s Tipperah district in a remote village named Dhamti, Aich was interested in strength related sports such as wrestling and weight-lifting since childhood.
But destiny struck an ugly note when he fell victim to the dangerous illness called Kala Azar or Black Fever. Disciplined training in physical fitness saw him recover and regain normal health. He never felt his short height to be a liability in his strong man activities. This, despite the fact that the world of body-building was filled with tall and giant figures. In 1950, he won the Mr. Hercules contest when he was 36. In 1951, he stood second in the Mr. Universe contest. The next year, he was first in the Pro-Short division of the NABBA Mr. Universe. In 1955, he stood third in the Mr. Universe contest. He stood fourth in the Mr. Universe contest in 1960 when he was 46. He continued to perform at body-building shows from 1960, and his last show was in 2003 when he was already 90. Aich was also a three-time Asian Games gold medalist in body building.
He started bodybuilding exercises such as doing push-ups, squats, pull-ups, leg raises and traditional sit-ups. As a student in Dhaka, he attended the Rupal Byayam Samiti for physical exercises, and participated in shows titled Physique and Magic along with P.C. Sorcar, the great magician. He could bend steel with his teeth, bend spears with his neck, and rest his belly on swords.
Aich joined the Royal Air Force in 1942, yet continued his pursuit in body-building. Reub Martin, a British officer in the RAF introduced him to weight training. But Aich was placed behind bars for slapping a British officer as his strong reaction to the officer’s remarks backing colonial oppression by the British in India. But his days in prison did in no way come in the way of his weight training, where he would spend hours in physical exercise. The impressed prison authorities even arranged a special diet for him.
In 1991, he had also contested elections for the BJP and finished third, collecting over 163,000 votes. In 2015, he was given the Banga Bibhushan Award by the West Bengal government. When he turned 100 in 2012, he said that the secret to his healthy and ripe old age was his very simple diet comprising milk, fruit and vegetables along with rice, lentils and fish. In the entire 104 years of his life, he never touched alcohol, nor did he smoke. He once said in an interview, “I never allow any kind of tension to grip me. I had to struggle hard to earn money, but whatever the situation, I remained happy.” His room is still decorated with posters, pictures and awards of his triumphs.
He leaves behind two sons and two daughters, his wife having predeceased him in 2002. His sons run a gym and fitness centre which their father helped them in when he was alive. He leaves behind an enriched history of umpteen triumphs and numerous achievements. Few can associate the achievements of this great ‘little’ man with the way he began his working life – selling coconuts on the streets.