Unlike most celebrity bodybuilders, Rahul Jaiswal doesn't have a cook to make him chicken soups and fresh juices at his beck and call.
The 24-year old who has won some of the most prestigious bodybuilding titles in the country cooks not just for himself but also for about 100 students at Somaiya Vidyavihar College, Mumbai every day. Being homeless, he lives in the canteen where he works as a cook.
Rahul Jaiswal
Jaiswal draws crowds wherever he goes. People throng around him asking for tips on how to get six-pack abs and muscles. Jaiswal's mantra for bodybuilding is simple. “Avoid junk food and eat healthy. I have eggs for protein. I also include a lot of boiled vegetables in my diet. In fact, I don't follow any particular diet. I prepare my meals depending on whatever ingredients are available in the canteen.
Prod him further and he says,'' The secret behind my six packs is nothing but hard work and dedication.''
Jaiswal's life story could make a captivating biopic. Born into a poor family in Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, he fled home at the age of 13 and came to Mumbai, hoping to make it big. “My father was a farmer and mother a domestic help,'' he recalls.
Life in the big city toughened him up. He would sleep at the Lokmanya Tilak railway platform. Memories of home town would sometimes keep him awake at night, but he would brush them away saying, “There's no going back.”
Soon, he got a job as a cook at the Somaiya Vidyavihar College canteen. It was a panwallah who introduced him there.
A visit to a gym became another turning point in his life. He got into body building. He was so good at it that the owner of the gym asked him to train the beginners. It gave Jaiswal immense confidence and he started taking part in body building contests including Mr YMCA, Mumbai Suburban District Amateur Body Building Championship and Maharashtra Shree. He won eight titles and bagged a silver medal at the 65th National Fitness and Bodybuilding Championship held in Bengaluru in May this year.
Jaiswal now has his mind set on the Mr World contest and has started preparing for the same. He divides his time between cooking, body building and a part-time job as fitness instructor.
