Unsung bodybuilding hero to start gym in Manipur

Manipur is rightly described as the powerhouse of sports in India, and it is no exaggeration.

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However, a bodybuilder from the tiny mountainous State, who bagged 21 international medals and 25 national titles, has a bitter story to tell. Arambam Boby quit his job as a clerk in Indian Railways and is starting his own gym in Imphal to train promising youth. He says that his new gym will be constructed without any assistance from the government. It is set for inauguration on October 31.

Born on February 1, 1975, Mr. Boby was attracted towards gymnastics and went to the Manipur university campus for training. He got admission as a student in the SAI complex. However, he left it in 1990 following a disagreement. Later, he trained himself to be an athlete.

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He got recruited in the SSB on sports quota in 1993 and stayed there for two years. During this stint, he clandestinely attended a training camp in bodybuilding. He was supported by other personnel in the SSB camp.

His first trainer was the late K. Yaiskul. On seeing his physical structure, the teacher said, “Here, we have Mr. Junior Manipur”.

Mr. Boby bagged his first gold medal at national level in 1995 and his first at international level in 2010.

He told The Hindu that he bagged title after title in the following years. The Manipur government awarded him ₹10 lakh for his excellent record.

Mr. Boby said, “I felt insulted since there was no publicity or public reception. The money was just credited to my account”. There was no government job available for him. It is in sharp contrast to cash awards in terms of crores of rupees and plum jobs like additional superintendent of police, deputy director of sports, etc. doled to medallists of Tokyo Olympics recently.

Mr. Boby says that now he wants to settle at home as he is getting no younger. It is the reason he has constructed his gym complex in Imphal west district out of his savings without obtaining any assistance from the government.

He added confidently, “Many of the young men here will bring laurels. I want to train them so that they get gold medals in India and abroad”.