Mangalore: K Gokuldas of MEG Bangalore Adjudged 'Mr Karavali 2009’
The Hindu
Pics: Hemanth Studio Car Street
Mangalore, Feb 21: K Gokuldas of MEG Bangalore bagged the prestigious 'Mr Karavali 2009' award at the state-level body-building competition organized by Karavali Group of Colleges in association with Body Building Association of South Canara.
M Muhammad Abdul of MEG Bangalore was declared 'Best Poser' while Dinesh Kumar of ASC Bangalore was declared 'Most Mascular'
Earlier as four MEG musclemen removed their shirts to pose for photograph on the elevated platform at the Town Hall here, a group of youth, practising football in the nearby Nehru Maidan, could not continue with their play.
They were overawed by the stature of those posing for photographs with their coach, minutes before they were to take part in the “Mr. Karavali 2009” competition. One football player could not resist the temptation to imitate a body builder’s pose but he did not dare to remove his shirt.
The four body builders from MEG, a Bangalore-based defence establishment, were among the 87 people, who took part in the competition, organised by the Body Building Association of South Canara.
Their coach R. Sulajan was hopeful of one of his boys emerging the champion. “We have come to win,” he said. His pupil R. Jnanavelu said that grasping the judge’s instruction and acting upon them quickly mattered most in the competition, besides good show of muscles. Mr. Sulajan had also high hopes about the four-time winner of Mr. Karnataka title K. Gokuladas.
N. Mohammed Abdulla of Bangalore’s ASC Centre, who won Mr. India gold medal in 2008, said the fight was tough. “It is good to be scared in a competition. Overconfidence may kill you,” he said.
Belgaum Body Building Association’s coach Parish Shinde was banking on Sanketh Yadav, who has earned the “Junior Mr. Belgaum” title and has been a University Blue.
The winner of Mr. Karavali 2009 title gets Rs. 10,000 in cash and a memento. But the prize money appears peanuts, going by the statement of Mr. Shinde. He said that a State-level body-builder needed Rs. 15,000 a month for food, medicines and other things.
Mr. Sulajan said: “A body-builder should consume one kg chicken, one papaya, three glasses of fruit juice, 18 eggs, a bowl of rice, five chapatis, two glasses of vegetable soup, three bananas, a bowl of boiled broken wheat, for every three sittings.”
Although defence personnel could afford such a diet, persons like Mr. Shinde find it difficult to make do. “If we ask sponsors to pay Rs. 5,000, they give Rs. 500,” he said. The rich preferred to spend on parties, he added.
An office-bearer of the host association Purandar Kuloor said the best poser and most muscular body builders too would be honoured with cash prizes, in addition to three prizes being given in all the categories.