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Manohar Aich addresses the gathering in AE Block, flanked by club president Manimoy Saha (right) and secretary Rahul Sinha. Picture by Saradindu Chaudhury. (below right) Aich displays his sculpted physique in his heydays
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Legendary body-builder Manohar Aich was the star attraction at a recent blood donation camp organised by Sreejoni Athletic Club in association with Samaj Kalyan Sangha at Samaj Kalyan Bhavan, the community centre of AE Block Part 2.
He came accompanied by Bani Banerjee, his elder daughter, with whom he stays in Baguiati. Earlier this year in March, the Mr Universe title-winner of 1952 has stepped into his centenary year. As he sat in the front row, there was quite a rush among residents to click photographs with him. Aich may be a shadow of his former self when standing tall at 4ft 11 inches, he used to be hailed as Pocket Hercules and tore 1,500-page books and bent spears with his neck. His rippling muscles developed at the encouragement of his British colleagues at Royal Air Force as well as of prison officials during a jail term for slapping an oppressive British officer are a thing of the past now. Because of a minor stroke last year, he cannot lift weights any more. Yet when the shutterbugs click, with a toothless smile on his face he flexes his biceps that are impressive for a soon-to-be centenarian.
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“Every day, he wakes up at 6am and takes a short walk. By 9am, he has breakfast. Though he left exercising about eight years back he is quite healthy even now,” Banerjee said about her father.
Though his words are difficult to make out, he still imparted a simple message: “Sushtho thakun, rokto din, dirghojibi hon (Stay healthy, donate blood, live long).”
It was the silver jubilee of the blood donation camp of the club, which was registered in 1978. “We always hold our camp in summer when the shortage of blood is acute,” said Manimoy Saha, president of the club.
“Blood cannot be bought from the market. Social awareness is necessary to increase people’s willingness to donate blood,” Rahul Sinha, the secretary of club, added. A total of 51 people, most of them residents of AE Block, donated blood.
The club, which also has sports and sit-and-draw contests, a football tournament and Saraswati puja on its annual calendar, is planning a cultural programme in winter to mark the landmark year.
The highpoint of the programme on June 24 was the felicitation of Aich by the club in presence of MLA Sujit Bose and councillors Swati Banerjee and Debashish Jana.
“He is our country’s pride but despite winning laurels for India on the world stage he has not got the kind of recognition that he deserves. We wanted to honour him in his centenary year and extend some financial help,” said Saha.
Among the residents who got themselves clicked alongside Aich was Dr Pradip Chaterjee. “He was the ideal that my father used to set before us when we were young. Whenever we would eat junk food or waste time, he would cite the controlled life that Aich led and his persistence in staying on in London to train for the Mr Universe contest despite coming from a none-too-affluent family.”
He added that as a doctor, he was awestruck to see someone stand on his own without help in his 100th year.
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