The little-known ‘pehelwan’ son of Mulayam Singh Yadav

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has reason to be a proud father. His elder son Akhilesh Yadav at age 39 is chief minister of Uttar Pradesh while his 25-year-old younger son Prateek has made a mark as a body-builder.

Before entering politics, ‘netaji’ or leader, as Mulayam Singh is called by his supporters, was himself famous as a ‘pehelwan’ or body builder. In September, the younger Yadav was featured in an internationally acclaimed body building website as “the international transformation of the month”.

The transformation in Prateek left many stunned. His weight dropped from 103-plus kg to 67 kg over the past few years; he has also added rippling muscles to his 5 feet 11 inch frame. The transition, Prateek told IANS, happened as a result of a pep talk he received from Mulayam Singh over a decade ago.

“I was back from my school in Dehradun with pneumonia. In the course of treatment, steroids were administered, and it led to major weight gain. By the time I turned 11 years old, I weighed 103 kg.” Netaji asked him to shed weight and told him that if he lost 10 kg, he would fetch himself a reward.

“He would chide me and tell me not to gorge on mangoes, and tell me to drink my milk plain, without Bournvita, as weight was becoming such a big concern,” Prateek says.

Prateek also decided to join a local gymnasium and compete with two other friends in a weight loss race. All these efforts began to pay off.