COMM: This female bodybuilder is breaking down cultural taboos in India.
00:15 COMM: Away from the gym 32-year-old Ashwini
Waskar looks like any traditional Indian girl next door but in only a year she has transformed
her physique and become a competitive bodybuilder.
Ashwini only started going to the gym a year ago as she wanted to lose weight but she loved
working out so much that she quit her job and began a career in fitness.
00:38 ASHWINI: When I became a personal trainer,
I was so enthusiastic that as challenge I used to lift weights.
With the heavy weight training and a diet that was rich in protein, my body became strong
from within.
00:52 COMM: Then Ashwini found out that a nearby
city was holding India's first national female bodybuilding competition and she decided to
compete.
But entrants had to wear revealing clothing and Ashwini was concerned about how her conservative
family would react.
01:07 ASHWINI: When I first heard about the female
bodybuilding competition in Vashi, I barely had 10-12 days to prepare for it.
It took me two days to get permission from my father to wear the competition clothing
of sports bra and bikini.
01:28 BHALCHANDRA: Instead of taking a few days,
I thought about it overnight and told her the next day that the competitors are sportspeople
and the clothes are part of the sport, a part of the exercise.
There is a purpose for it and you are not selling your body.
You are showing the world what you have earned.
01:44 NIRANJAN: When I heard that shorts were worn
in the competition.
I was a little worried.
We are a middle class family.
Once she had support of the rest of the family, I had no objections to it.
02:09 COMM: With her family behind her, Ashwini
has gone on to compete in seven bodybuilding contests, including an international competition.
But unlike male competitors she has struggled to find sponsorship so her father foots most
of the bill.
02:24 BHALCHANDRA: People ask why we had to spend
so much money on this, because I sold my gold chain and used the money set aside for an
operation for my daughter's career.
It is okay if no one helps my daughter.
I am ready to sell everything, as long as she competes and places in the top three at
competitions.
I hope that she lands a job through this sport.
We will try for that, but the rest we leave to God.
02:52 COMM: And it's not just Bhalchandra who is
proud of Ashwini.
02:55 NIRANJAN: I feel proud that everyone knows
me as Ashwini Waskar's brother.
03:02 DAYSHREE: I think its evident how much she
loves her body by the way she maintains it.
Everybody loves somebody in their lives, but I believe that before loving anybody we should
learn to love ourselves.
03:15 COMM: Looking into the future Ashwini hopes
to become one of India's top female bodybuilders but for now she is glad to be challenging
the country's cultural taboos.
03:32 ASHWINI: There are a lot of girls in India
coming forward because of the publicity these competitions are getting.
It's a good sign.
Girls are starting bodybuilding and some women are being inspired to get fit.
It should not be a taboo.