On March 17, 1912, Manohar Aich was born at Dhamti, a remote village in Comilla district of undivided Bengal. From childhood, he had an infinite interest in wrestling and weightlifting. To strengthen his body, he joined Ruplal Byayam Samiti at a young age. Then, while staying in Dhaka, he showed acrobatic performance in shows titled Physique and Magic with P. C. Sorcar and became a quite well-known face among local people. This legendary bodybuilder breathed his last at the age of 104 on June 5, 2016.
Physical fitness was the sole passion of his life. He received a certificate of appreciation from the then British for his envious physique. But he never compromised when it comes to patriotism. Slapping a British officer, he was once imprisoned. But the English were surprised to see him doing exercise for hours in jail. Seeing his perseverance, they also arranged a special diet for him.
In 1950, at the age of 37, he won the Mr. Hercules title. He was only 4 feet 11 inches tall. For this reason, he is also known as Pocket Hercules. Though he achieved second place in the Mr. Universe competition the following year, he did not have to wait long to get the top position. In 1952, he won the Mr. Universe title. Then in 1955 and 1960, in the Mr. Universe competition, he won third and fourth place respectively. He won three gold medals in the bodybuilding category at the Asian Games held in 1951 (New Delhi), in 1954 (Manila) and in 1958 (Tokyo). Since 1960, he had been attending various bodybuilding demonstration shows. His last exhibition was in 2003 at the age of 90.
He had a very eventful career as a bodybuilder. Control over muscle, demonstration of his physical prowess traveling around the world, 300 KM squat- Manohar Aich, who is glorified with various achievements, participated in various bodybuilding exhibitions till his last breath. His fitness motivates the young generation. His death is a big blow to the sports lovers. Manohar Aich passed away, but the trend he started will not die away in the minds of his countrymen. We pay our last respect to pocket Hercules.
Those who suffer from inferiority complex due to their short height can take inspiration from Manohar Aich. He is one of the few people who have shown that short height is not an obstacle to fulfill your dream. If you have firm determination and diligence, you will reach your goal sooner or later. I will tell you to come out of your depression and start working hard so that you can set an example for other people.
