IMPHAL: HIV positive bodybuilder and 'Mr Manipur' Khundrakpam Pradeep Kumar, who is participating in the 'Mr Asia' and 'Mr World' competitions in November and December, is finding it difficult to have a proper nutritional diet owing to acute financial crisis.
Pradip, who is undergoing Anti-Retroviral Therapy (Art), is competing at the eighth Senior Mr Asia championship in Ludhiana in the first week of November. The next month, he will take part in the 4th Mr World Championship in Bangkok.
A resident of Khamnam Leirak in Imphal West, Pradip (43) disclosed his health status to the media a few days after bagging the 60-kg category senior 'Mr Manipur' title in a state-level competition held here in December, 2007. Pradip, a brand ambassador of Manipur Aids Control Society (Macs), later bagged silver and bronze medals in different national competitions and stood eighth in the 'Mr World' competition.
Manipur is one of the six high HIV/AIDS prevalence states of the country. According to Macs, the state has 38,016 people infected with HIV, including 10,109 women and 2,578 children. Pradip, who has emerged as an icon of inspiration to the world, spends around Rs 40,000 in procuring foreign nutritional diet every month.
"Macs, which used to pay Rs 8,000 a month for my nutritional support, has stopped extending the amount since June this year," Pradip informed TOI on Monday.
"The state government which had promised to appoint me as a regular employee in the youth affairs and sports department in 2009 also failed to do anything about it. This was another major setback," said Pradip. A group of HIV positive widows of the state launched a charity campaign to collect money for him after they came to know about his financial condition. They are providing me monetary help and I am very thankful to them, he said.
Recently, a social organization donated Rs 1.5 lakh to the bodybuilder for his cause, he said.
"Since I do not have money, I am not in a position to procure the standard nutritional diet. But I am ready to fight all odds and I will manage to make it through. I will continue with my rigorous practice and give my best at both the competitions," he added.
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