Monotosh Roy Biography 
Monotosh Roy was an Indian bodybuilder, who became the first Indian and Asian to be awarded the Mr. Universe title. He won Mr. Universe title in Group III Amateur Division in 1951, to achieve this feat never reached by any Asian before. His son Moloy Roy is a recipient of the Arjuna Award and eight times Mr. India, and he currently runs the gym started by his father. He set up the multi-gym near his home in Kolkata in the 1998. In his later years he was bed ridden and died in 2005 following a cardiac arrest. He was 88 years old. Manohar Aich is the second bodybuilder to win this title for India for the second time.
Monotosh Roy was born on October 21, 1916 in Gajaria, Dhaka, Bengal during British rule. His birth place now belongs to Bangladesh. He was born into a poor family, faced a lot of hardships in his childhood and faced poverty too. Yet he managed to at an English middle school. But it was not school studies which attracted him. He began exercising at the age of 12. He got attracted towards Yoga guru Bishnu Charan Ghosh, and used to worship him with his photo. Throughout his life, he remained respectful towards his guru. One day Bishnu Charan Ghosh saw it, got impressed by his skills and accepted as his disciple.
Since 1939 he struggled a lot to achieve Mr. Universe title in the early 1950s. He first took part in body building tournament at the age of 23. But he couldn’t win any prize. But same year he won ‘East Indian Bodybuilding Championship’, and marked his new beginning. For the next 8 years he received ‘All India Bodybuilding Championship’. He moved to UK in 1951 representing India at Mr. Universe competition, and placed a glorious win, by winning the title. Later he worked as a trainer for many yoga and fitness centres, and also wrote numerous columns about body fitness in magazines, dailies etc.
Published: September 29, 2018
Updated: September 29, 2018
