West Bengal Amateur Body Builders Association Established in 1933 and is affiliated to Bengal Olympic Association and National Amateur Body Builders Federation, which in turn is affiliated to World Amateur Body Builders Association and Asia Amateur Body Builders federation. Our Association is also recognized by the West Bengal State Council of Sports.
In 1930 Sri Bishnu Charan Ghosh, a pioneer promoter of physical fitness and culture in Bengal formed Indian Weight Lifting Association to popularize weight lifting in the country.
National Federation felt that body building should be with the Weight Lifting Association and at the end of 1930’s they created Bengal Weight Lifters Association and in 1933 a separate body West Bengal Amateur Body Builders’ Association (this Association) was formed. The objects for which our Association was formed amongst others are:
To establish, maintain, introduce, encourage, cultural and educational institutions for diffusion of useful knowledge, for the promotion of health, physical culture, etc. and to organize and run tournaments and competitions in connection therewith and construct and maintain such buildings, rooms, lands, fixtures, fittings, furniture, gymnasiums, etc., for such purposes.
To promote, encourage and popularize Body Building and Physical Culture as sports, as items of Physical Education and as a means of Physical Culture throughout the State of West Bengal and to organize, and assist in competitions and demonstrations for that purpose.
To select Competitors, Judges Coaches and Officials, to represent the “STATE” at Inter-Provincial, National and International contests and to arrange for and assist in the training of Body Building and to raise and provide funds for any of its objects.
The regular best physique competition commenced from the year 1943 under the title ‘MR.BENGAL’. Later known as ‘BANGASREE’. The first president of this association was Sree Manmotho Nath Roy Chowdhury of Santosh ( Santosh Trophy Football tournament was
Named after him) and the general secretary was Sri Keshab Chandra Gupta, a leading lawyer of Calcutta High Court.
The body building sports was not so popular until Sri Monotosh Roy and Sri Monohar Aich of West Bengal became Group Champion and runner up in the short group height class at the ‘MR.UNIVERSE’ competition, organized by NATIONAL AMATEUR BODY BUILDER ASSOCIATION IN 1951 AT LONDON. The year 1951 was the land mark in the history of body building in West Bengal and also in India. Body building sports also came into lime light as National competition all over India in 1951. India Weight Lifting and Bodybuilders
Association organized ‘BHARAT SREE’ competition and it was privileged of west Bengal amateur weight lifter and body builders association that the first official BHARAT SREE contest was held in the Calcutta university institute auditorium on the 28th January 1951.
Sree Parimal Ray of West Bengal stood first in the short man class and the runner up goes in favour of Kamineni Easware Rao of Andhra Pradesh who later became an ace weight lifter of India. Middle group first was Rash Mohan Banerjee of west Bengal and runner up was Dhanda Mundi Rajagopal of Andhra Pradesh . First position in the tall group class owned by Janardhan Roy of West Bengal (who represented Madras in 1955 at the Bharat Sree contest and won the title). The first official Bharat Sree title goes in favour of Pariml Roy of West Bengal in 1951.
In 1951 India hosted the first ever ‘ASIAN GAMES’ held at New Delhi and body building event included at the Asian games. Parimal Roy of West Bengal was the proud winner and the title holder ‘MR.ASIA’ at the first Asian games. He also represented the country at the ‘MR.UNIVERSE’ contest in 1953 in London and did well. Government of India had recognized this competition and even sanctioned grants for the conduct of the events.
In 1973 Ministry insisted that Indian weight lifters federation should not conduct body building contest on the ground ‘One Federation, One Discipline’, so the weight lifting federation had to vacate its hold on the body building activities. Thus in 1973 National Body Builders’ Federation formed and built up state level association and official cadre to run the body building activities throughout the country.
A good number of body builders and body building lovers came forward to take the association at the highest level under the guidance of their idol Sree Kamal Bhandari. This association is the only pioneer association in the field of body building and the great personalities who came forward for the cause of body building are Sarbasree, Dr.Arabinda Ghosh, Ananda Mukherjee, Moloy Mukherjee, Santosh Sanyal, Dilip Banerjee, Saral Mitra,
Gour Sircar, Gopal Chakraborty, Chandranath Banerjee, Hiten Roy, Nirapoda Pakhira, Deb Narayan ganguly, and many more.
Late Gour Sircar was a very popular general secretary of the west Bengal amateur body builders’ Association, who shoulders the responsibilities of organizing various Body Building championships in West Bengal. Gaur Sircar was competitor in short man class at the first Bharat Sree contest, held in Calcutta in 1951. He won place many time in short group Bharat Sree contest. He made a record time participation in Bharat Sree continuously from 1951-1963 (long 13 years).
Late Saral Mitra and Late Chandranath Banerjee ex-treasurer of West Bengal Amateur Body Builders’Association and also a National Referee and a well known co-coordinator, worked very hard for the improvement of the Association.
Our Association is a treasure of body building having a rich heritage and history of pioneering Physical Culture in Bengal and has witnessed numerous social, economical and political upheavals’ since the pre-independence day.
It has steadfastly remained at the forefront of the physical culture arena and has controlled hundreds of health clubs in Kolkata and most of the districts of West Bengal.
We are very proud that our Association has successfully completed 88 years of its journey and is celebrating its Glorious achievement Our Association has successfully running 89 years.
Our Association has taken a vow to endear body building amongst the mass through various competitions, Health awareness programmed body-shows and strength feats programmers’ and districts championship.