Manotosh Roy, the legendary body builder who brought the first Mr Universe title to India in 1951 winning the World Body Building Championship, has passed away. He was 88.
Roy, who was also the first Asian to bag the Mr Universe title, died late on Wednesday night. He was admitted to a nursing home on Friday with respiratory problems. At around 11 pm he breathed his last.
A widower, he is survived by three sons and a daughter.
Long before the present generation's fitness fad, partly inspired by the toned up bodies of today's Bollywood stars, Roy had inspired the youth in Bengal in the 1950s and 60s to build beautiful bodies.
He was an icon for many youth in Bengal and elsewhere following his international feats.
A founder member of the Bodybuilding Federation of India, Roy was also the founding member of the Asian Bodybuilding Federation.
Roy had authored several books on yoga and bodybuilding and set up several institutes devoted to the sport.
He used to conduct bodybuilding programmes on the state-run Doordarshan.
India has so far produced three 'Mr Universe' -- Manotosh Roy (1951), Manohar Aich (1952) and Premchand Degra (1988).