Manohar Aich
Encyclopedia
Manohar Aich is an Indian bodybuilder. He was born in Comilla District
(now in Bangladesh
), in a remote village named Dhamti. He won the 1952 Mr. Universe - Group III
championship. He is also a three-time Asian Games
gold medalist in body building. Being only 4 feet 11 inches (1.50 m) tall, he was given the name "Pocket Hercules
". He currently lives in Kolkata
and has retained an excellent physique even at the age of 97 years. His chest measured 54 inches (140 cm) with a waist of 23 inches (58 cm) giving him the best v-cut.
From childhood he was interested in strength related sports, such as wrestling, weight-lifting, etc. Among other popular games, like the rest of the world, he is highly interested in football.
At the age of 12, due to a sudden attack of black-fever, his health broke down. However he regain his strength by physical fitness exercises. He started bodybuilding exercises such as push-ups (earlier known as dips), pull-ups (known as chinning), squats, crunches (sit-ups). Exercising with clubs was a very popular form at that time. Even Manohar used to do the same. He used to do only free-hand exercises with thousands of repetitions in every set.
Manohar was first introduced to weight-training when he joined the Indian Air Force (then known as Royal Air Force) during 1943. But by that time he had built his structure by the dint of hard work and thousands of repetitions of freehand exercises. Due to his enviable physique, he was highly praised by the then British officials in the Royal Air Force.
In 1950, at the age of 37, Manohar won the Mr. Hercules contest. In 1951, he stood second in the Mr. Universe contest. In 1952, he won the Mr. Universe title. He also won the World Championship of Spring Pulling by tearing a spring of 275 pounds tension. In 1955, he stood third in the Mr. Universe contest. In 1960, he stood fourth in the Mr. Universe contest at the age of 47 years.
Few of his tricks involved squats with 300 kilograms (660 lb), demonstrating muscle control, tear books of 1500 pages at a time. There was no magic involved in these shows. He has toured all over the world for bodybuilding shows, and has been widely acclaimed for his strength and muscle control for a very long time.
Aich continues to train for 90 minutes at his own gym Studio de Physique in Kolkata which has produced Indian champs like Satyen Das, Satya Pal and Hitesh Chatterjee. Aich's diet: rice (along with the starch), pulses (dal), vegetables, fruits, mainly mango, banana, jackfruit, guava. Among non-veg items, he likes to have fresh-water fish.
He is blessed with 2 sons and 2 daughters. One of his sons manages the akhara and the other son manages the more conventional fitness center and disease-cure-centre at the same location.
Comilla District
The district of Comilla consists 4543 mosques, 379 temples, 98 churches, 34 Buddhist temples and six tombs.-Places of interest:Important landmarks include Kotbari, a cantonment, or military installation and Kandirpar, considered the heart of the Comilla district...
(now in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
), in a remote village named Dhamti. He won the 1952 Mr. Universe - Group III
Universe Championships
The Universe Championships are an annual bodybuilding event organised by the National Amateur Bodybuilders Association . It has a number of competitions: NABBA Amateur Mr. Universe, Miss Figure, and Miss Toned Figure....
championship. He is also a three-time Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
gold medalist in body building. Being only 4 feet 11 inches (1.50 m) tall, he was given the name "Pocket Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
". He currently lives in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
and has retained an excellent physique even at the age of 97 years. His chest measured 54 inches (140 cm) with a waist of 23 inches (58 cm) giving him the best v-cut.
From childhood he was interested in strength related sports, such as wrestling, weight-lifting, etc. Among other popular games, like the rest of the world, he is highly interested in football.
At the age of 12, due to a sudden attack of black-fever, his health broke down. However he regain his strength by physical fitness exercises. He started bodybuilding exercises such as push-ups (earlier known as dips), pull-ups (known as chinning), squats, crunches (sit-ups). Exercising with clubs was a very popular form at that time. Even Manohar used to do the same. He used to do only free-hand exercises with thousands of repetitions in every set.
Manohar was first introduced to weight-training when he joined the Indian Air Force (then known as Royal Air Force) during 1943. But by that time he had built his structure by the dint of hard work and thousands of repetitions of freehand exercises. Due to his enviable physique, he was highly praised by the then British officials in the Royal Air Force.
In 1950, at the age of 37, Manohar won the Mr. Hercules contest. In 1951, he stood second in the Mr. Universe contest. In 1952, he won the Mr. Universe title. He also won the World Championship of Spring Pulling by tearing a spring of 275 pounds tension. In 1955, he stood third in the Mr. Universe contest. In 1960, he stood fourth in the Mr. Universe contest at the age of 47 years.
Few of his tricks involved squats with 300 kilograms (660 lb), demonstrating muscle control, tear books of 1500 pages at a time. There was no magic involved in these shows. He has toured all over the world for bodybuilding shows, and has been widely acclaimed for his strength and muscle control for a very long time.
Aich continues to train for 90 minutes at his own gym Studio de Physique in Kolkata which has produced Indian champs like Satyen Das, Satya Pal and Hitesh Chatterjee. Aich's diet: rice (along with the starch), pulses (dal), vegetables, fruits, mainly mango, banana, jackfruit, guava. Among non-veg items, he likes to have fresh-water fish.
He is blessed with 2 sons and 2 daughters. One of his sons manages the akhara and the other son manages the more conventional fitness center and disease-cure-centre at the same location.