Bodybuilder in hijab, the head-turner at Mr. Kerala

Majiziya, winner in women’s category, is also a powerlifter

March 05, 2018 11:46 am | Updated March 06, 2018 04:25 pm IST - Kozhikode

 Majiziya Bhanu takes part in the Mr. Kerala contest.

Majiziya Bhanu takes part in the Mr. Kerala contest.

Quite a few were shocked when Majiziya Bhanu was announced the winner in the women’s category of the Mr. Kerala competition in Kochi recently. But the one most stumped was Majiziya herself. She had entered the bodybuilding circuit, which is mostly a male bastion, and managed to reconstruct the familiar image of the woman bodybuilder. The 23-year-old posed in a hijab, probably the only woman in the State to do so. And, it was her first time in such a contest.

The last one-and-a-half years were eventful for Majiziya, a final year BDS student from Orkatteri in Kozhikode. As a child, she was into athletics and other sports and had maintained a strong physique.

Boxing plans

She took an interest in boxing in 2016, but soon dropped out as she was not allowed to enter the boxing ring wearing braces. She then turned her attention to powerlifting and was declared the ‘Strong Woman of Kerala’ thrice by the Kerala Powerlifting Association. She got silver medal in the Asian Powerlifting Championship in 2017.

The idea of bodybuilding popped up recently. “I was apprehensive about taking part as it involved much skin show,” Majiziya said. “But then I came across some videos of Egyptian women bodybuilders and decided to adopt the costumes they used.”

She did not know how to pose, and being too nervous, couldn’t even smile while on stage. But thanks to fellow male bodybuilders from Kozhikode who encouraged her and officials who tipped her on the importance of smile, she gained confidence by the time she reached the finals. “The clothes were never a problem as the judges were experienced enough to assess a clothed person’s build,” Majiziya explained.

Source of support

She considers her family and fiance, who encourages her in her endeavours, as her greatest strength. Majiziya, who competes in the 52-kilogram category, now dreams of taking part in the World Powerlifting Championship.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.