Woman heads Guj bodybuilding board

Ahmedabad: Six-packs and bulging biceps is not the first thing that comes to mind when you meet Tulsi Sujan, decked up in dangling earrings and bright red lipstick. But then how often does a woman head a state body of a sport that is masculinity personified? 

    Sujan, 54, not only heads the Gujarat State Bodybuilding Association, she is responsible for organising one of the richest bodybuilding competitions in the state. 
    The Senior Mr Gujarat 2010 meet, was held at Sardar Patel Stadium in Navrangpura on Sunday. The total prize money was Rs 6 lakh with the winner getting Rs 75,000 apart from other prizes worth Rs 25,000. 
    "Three years ago, I attended a bodybuilding competition in Ahmedabad in which some boys from my gym were participating and was shocked to know that the prize was just a certificate," says Sujan. She is also general secretary of the International Human Rights Association, Gujarat wing. 
    A powerful woman who idolises Sonia Gandhi and drives a Merc, Sujan is a part of the family's shipping business. She had a penchant for sports from an early age and dabbled in many disciplines. But she was fascinated by heavyweights. She runs a gym and forces anybody she comes across to work out and get healthy. 
    "One doesn't have to enter competitions but bodybuilding gives you a good physique and a great personality. I am more concerned about womenfolk who go through many upheavals in life and lose their health in the process. If women remain fit, the whole household remains healthy," she says.

FEMME EXTRAORDINAIRE: 
Tulsi Sujan (left) heads the Gujarat State Bodybuilding Association. She is organising Senior Mr Gujarat 2010 (top), one of the richest competitions of its kind in the state