Meet Pratik Vittal Mohite who is proud to be the world’s smallest body builder. Standing at a 3ft 3ins Pratik, 23, was born with his disability.
But the cricket fan, from Raigad, Maharashtra, central India, is determined it will not affect his life, and for the last three years he has become a national body builder in his country, with 41 competitions already under his belt.
‘I struggled with my confidence at first,’ he said. ‘I thought people would laugh at me and I was scared of how it’d make me feel. But when I got on stage for the first time I heard clapping and then people were coming up to me asking for selfies and photos and that felt amazing. I’ve not looked back since.’
Pratik grew up not being able to do things other kids his age could do but he quickly adapted.
His father, Vittal Gajanan Mohite, 46, said: ‘We were very sad when he was born and we saw the way he was. Any parent would feel the same.’
‘But raising him has been no problem, he’s learnt to do everything himself so it’s been no extra problem for us.’
His mother, Sunita Vittal Mohite, 44, said she had regular check-ups during her pregnancy but no one said anything until her final appointment in her ninth month.
She said: ‘My mum took me to a different doctor in the ninth month and he told me the baby had a condition. The doctor asked me what did I want to do? He said he could give me an injection in the tummy and kill the baby.
‘When I returned home I couldn’t sleep all night. My father said don’t do anything. My father in law also said we shouldn’t do anything. And so we went ahead with the baby.
When he was born, everyone was happy he was a baby boy but his arms and legs are different. I was so worried about his future. If he couldn’t sit or walk, what would he do?’
But by the time Pratik turned one he was able to sit up. And eventually he started to walk.
Pratik remembers: ‘When I was little I wasn’t able to play with my friends and that’s when I realised something wassn’t right. They could ride a bike, swim, and play but I couldn’t do anything. It made me feel sad so I tried to live like others. I was determined to do what the other kids were doing and move forward in life.’
Pratik remembers being the only one sitting out of sports class in school and watching the boys play cricket.
He added: ‘I was a shy boy, and if I used to try and run the kids used to laugh at me. Boys used to make fun of me but I learnt to ignore them. I was angry inside and it’d put me in a bad mood for the rest of the day. My family would try to help and encourage me to ignore them. Eventually I began to to play cricket and then my body just got stronger.’
By the time Pratik hit his teens he was living with his uncle as he was closer to school. His uncle used to be in the army so was very active and he’d often do work-outs in front of Pratik.
‘Eventually I started to copy my uncle. I liked it and it made me feel good so I thought it’d carry on, and concentrated on body building. I was 18 when I started working out seriously at the gym.’
Pratik said he couldn’t hold a dumb bell during his first few visits to the gym because his hands were too small to grip them. So instead he used a weight plate and his friends would help him tie a handkerchief to the plate for a better grip.
‘I used to struggle in the gym,’ he said. ‘But gradually I began to get stronger. Now I can lift 85kg weights for my chest. And for my triceps I can lift 25kg. I used to struggle with cardio but now I run also. Over time my body has got stronger. And when I did my first show it was like I a huge reward.’
Pratik did his first body building show in 2016 after his local gym encouraged him to take part as a guest but it was to be the start of Pratik’s career on stage. Since then he has appeared in over 40 competitions.
He follows a strict diet and exercise routine, going to the gym morning and evening and running when he can too.
His mother Sunita added: ‘He works very hard. I cook separate meals for him, I cook with little oil for him. And when he goes for a show he stops eating three or fours days before, eats just light meals, fruit or veg, and doesn’t drink water on that day itself. He’s very committed.’
Since Pratik’s success he’s opened an Instagram account and his popularity has grown even more.
He said: ‘I posted one video of me posing in a show on Instagram and suddenly I got thousands of followers. I currently have 15,700 followers on Instagram and it’s all happened in the last year. It’s a great feeling.’
Pratik’s popularity has meant his gym has stopped charging him a monthly membership and considering he’s out of work he’s very grateful. He has sponsors to rely on for certain things he needs to buy for his shows but he still needs a job.
But Pratik’s dream is to now win a gold medal in the international competition Mr World.
Sunita said: ‘Doctors told me my son would never sit or walk but now look at him. My son is living, and moving ahead in life. I am very proud.’
Pratik would also like to marry one day but has no fears about meeting his leading lady when the time is right.
‘I don’t have a girlfriend right now,’ he said. ‘But I’d like to meet someone special one day. It’d be great if it was a love marriage and she loved me. But if my family chooses a wife for me but that’s their choice and I’ll respect that but I doubt she’d be very loving. I’d prefer to fall in love. I’m confident I’ll meet someone one day but I need to find work first and be stable. If I got a job and did body building on the side that would be great.’
