Home Videos World Aids Day: The HIV+ Man from Manipur Who Became Mr World
World Aids Day: The HIV+ Man from Manipur Who Became Mr World
Meet the HIV+ legend from Manipur who conquered the bodybuilding world.
Tridip K Mandal
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Pradipkumar Singh was HIV+ when he won a bronze in Mr. World
(Photo: The Quint)
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(This story was first published on 30 November, 2017 and is being republished from The Quint’s archives to mark World Aids Day.)
What’s it like to live with HIV? Pradipkumar Singh of Manipur has been asked this question almost every other day. The typical image of a person who is HIV positive is of someone who looks sick, emaciated and fragile, but Pradip just doesn’t look like that. With his ripped muscles and imposing physique it’s hard to believe that he has been carrying the virus for the last 18 years.
First Came the Drugs, Then HIV
With easy access to narcotics from across the border, Manipur is notorious for drug addiction. In the late 90s, it was fashionable to do drugs.
I started doing drugs just for fun with a few young boys from my locality. It was a cool thing to do back then. Slowly I became addicted and we were sharing syringes among friends.
The first few months were really tough for Pradip; his friends shunned him and he had lost a lot of weight. He fought pangs of depression but the doctors advised him to boost his immunity and regularly take medicines. The first step for Pradip was to gain his weight back, so he started bodybuilding.
Pradipkumar Singh won the Mr.Manipur title in 2007. (Photo: The Quint)
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There was nobody to guide me. I kept working out, eating good diet and taking my medicines regularly. Slowly the results started showing.
In 2006 Pradip participated in Mr Manipur Bodybuilding competition where he won the bronze medal. Still, he was not prepared to make his status public. It was only in 2007, when he won the Mr Manipur title, that he announced his status to the world.
I wanted to be on the top when I announce to the world that I am HIV positive. That was the only way I could fight the stigma. I also didn’t want people to have pity on me.
Pradip won the Mr South Asia title in 2012. Then came the big one – a bronze in the Mr World contest.
Pradipkumar Singh at the Mr World competition in 2012.(Photo: The Quint)
With Great Power Comes the Responsibility
Pradip is almost a legend in Manipur now. Almost everyone knows his story but he says that the stigma still exists. But Pradip is glad that he has also been able to create the awareness.
The fact is that we cannot live a life like a normal person. We have to be extremely careful of what we eat, our schedule and have to diligently follow the medications. It’s important to continue with the Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and not miss your dosage even for a single day.
Pradip has shown that it is possible to live with HIV. For 18 years he has been carrying the virus in his body. But he never forgets to reiterate.
We have to live life to the fullest, we are similar to a normal person yet different. We have to be very responsible. We may have got the virus from others but we should not pass it on to any other human being