In a tragic turn of events, a former state-level bodybuilder and professional gym coach has taken to begging outside Vasai Road railway station, after he was diagnosed with bone tuberculosis six months ago
In a tragic turn of events, a former state-level bodybuilder and professional gym coach has taken to begging outside Vasai Road railway station, after he was diagnosed with bone tuberculosis six months ago. On most days, Anil Shetty, 67, sits with a placard that reads, "I have been felicitated by the governor for my bodybuilding games, now I am penniless for treatment. Pls help me, Pls save me (sic)."
Anil Shetty requests monetary help outside Vasai station. Pic /Hanif Patel
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The condition has affected his joints, making it difficult for him to walk or stand. This means he cannot do odd jobs even to earn a living. Shetty claims that the doctors he consulted have said that his treatment will cost him Rs 2.5 lakh.
Born on August 15, 1950 into a family in Mangalore, Shetty came to Mumbai at 14 after he lost his parents. Here, he lived with a family who belonged to his hometown, in Kurla. "I took up a job in a plastic company, and earned Rs 78 a month," Shetty recalls. "From this amount, I would send Rs 20 to my my siblings back home, and spend Rs 25 in the mess. The remaining money I would spend on my physique."
In his late teens, Shetty began frequentingShivajiPark's local gym, Samarth Vyayam Mandir. It's here that senior body builders advised him to try his luck at a bodybuilding contest. "At 21, I won the Nutan Mumbai Shree title, and was the talk of the town," he says.
In 1974, Shetty won the Mr Maharashtra Shree Junior title, after which he was sent to participate in Junior Mr India in 1976-77, a national bodybuilding championship that was held in Kolkata that year. He stood second. "That same year, the Maharashtra government felicitated me with the Rashtriya Krida Vijeta Pad at Raj Bhavan," he says.
After his efforts were recognised by the state, he Shetty landed a job at Vijaya Bank's Churchgate branch. The job offered him a steady income and enough time to pursue his dream.
Shetty during his bodybuilding days
Unfortunately, he didn't manage to clinch any top titles after this. "For 10 years, I participated across competitions, but luck evaded me. Perhaps there was something lacking in my workout," Shetty says wistfully.
But, instead of losing hope, he moved to Nalasopara with his wife and sons, and opened a local gym. He called it Bablu Gym and trained young boys, and even saw several of them take up bodybuilding professionally.
He rattles off names of state-level champs like Sham Raul, McLean Andrade and Rajesh Desai, who he claims, all trained under him at some point.
In the hope of launching a bigger platform for bodybuilders, Shetty launched Prime Fitness Club in Vasai in 1999. "But, somehow, I couldn't strike a balance between my passion and business. The gym incurred heavy losses; I lost around R50 lakh," he shares.
Meanwhile, fate served him a second blow. He had a fallout with his family. On a whim, Shetty says he left home and moved into his sister's apartment atEvershineCity, Vasai East, where he lived on rent. He managed fine until this year, when he was diagnosed with bone tuberculosis in his left leg. "I can't stand for long. My movement is restricted," he says.
With the Rashtriya Krida Vijeta Pad certificate he received from the state government in 1977
Shetty's orthopaedic surgeon Dr Suraj Baghel, who mid-day spoke to, said that urgent treatment will ensure Shetty's condition doesn't deteriorate. "Even after a surgery is performed, he will need medical care for the next least 18 months," Dr Baghel said.
Shetty was forced to take to begging to collect funds after his savings ran dry. "I am reliant on my sister even for food," he says.
"I work with a private company on contract basis, and earn a meagre salary of Rs 6,000. This is just enough to meet our food expenses," says Shetty's younger sister Sangeet, 58.
Shetty says Mumbai has been generous. Passersby give him whatever they can afford to part with. "I wish to get well so that I can earn a living again," he says.
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