 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Pocket Hercules[1] |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Born | (1912-03-17)17 March 1912[2] Comilla,Bengal Presidency,British India (now inBangladesh)[3] |
| Died | 5 June 2016(2016-06-05) (aged 104) Kolkata,West Bengal,India |
| Occupation | Bodybuilder |
| Height | 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in)[1] |
| Spouse | |
Manohar Aich (17 March 1912 – 5 June 2016) was an Indianbodybuilder. He was the second Indian (afterMonotosh Roy in 1951) to win anyMr. Universe title. He did so in the 1952NABBAUniverse Championships. At 4 feet 11 inches (1.50 m) tall, he was given the name "PocketHercules".[4] Aich has been cited by historians as an influence onIndian physical culture.[5]
Manohar Aich was born in a kayastha family, since childhood Aich was interested in strength related sports, such aswrestling andweightlifting. At the age of 12, due to a sudden attack ofblack fever, his health broke down.[6] He regained his strength, however, by physical fitness exercises. He started bodybuilding exercises such as doing push-ups, squats, pull-ups, leg raises, and traditional sit-ups. He only did bodyweight/calisthenics exercises with up to 100 reps per set at that age. He attended theK. L. Jubilee High School & College inDhaka,Bangladesh. While at school, he used to go to the Ruplal Byayam Samiti for physical exercises.[7] He began to perform in shows titledPhysique and Magic along withP. C. Sorcar inDhanbad.[6] He used to perform feats like bending steel with his teeth, bending spears with his neck and resting his belly on swords.[6]
Aich joined theRoyal Air Force in 1942 where he began his pursuit in bodybuilding. He was introduced to weight training by Reub Martin, a British officer in the RAF. While part of the RAF, Aich was imprisoned for slapping a British officer[8] in protest at the officer's remarks in favour of colonial oppression.[9] Aich began his weight training seriously while in jail.[8] He would spend hours in physical exercises. Observing his knack in physical culture, the jail authorities arranged a special diet for him.[10]
In 1950, at the age of 38, Aich won the Mr. Hercules contest. In 1951 he stood second in the Mr. Universe contest. In 1952 he placed first in the Pro-Short division of the NABBA Mr. Universe.[11] At the time his measurements were: biceps 46 cm, chest 1.2 m, forearm 36 cm.[12]
In 1991, he had also contested elections for theBJP and finished third, collecting over 163,000 votes. Also, in 2015, he was given theBanga Bibhushan Award by theGovernment of West Bengal.[13]
In March 2012, Aich became acentenarian.[14] He credited his good health with "a simplediet of milk, fruits and vegetables along with rice,lentils and fish"[14] and not allowing any tension to creep into his life.[15] He had two sons and two daughters.[1] His sons run a gym and a fitness centre, in which Aich helped until the last few days of his life.[14]
On 5 June 2016, Manohar Aich died inKolkata, aged 104 years.[16][12]
Media related toManohar Aich at Wikimedia Commons