Fitness Freak Sohel Taj

Sohel Taj is a strong advocate of physical fitnessKabir Hossain

“So come over tomorrow at 5:30pm.”

“Where?”

“To my gym. Do you know our old house? 751 Satmasjid, Dhanmondi.”

The conversation was with Sohel Taj. Their old house referred to the house of his father Tajuddin Ahmad, the first prime minister of Bangladesh. I was quite familiar with the house.

I turned up at the house on Satmasjid Road, Dhanmondi on 23 October. It is multi-storey building now. It used to be three-storyed back in the day. That was the house where Sohel Taj had spent his childhood.

Working out
Kabir Hossain

On the seventh floor of the building is the gym, Inspire by Sohel Taj. It was inaugurated on 15 October.

You emerge from the lift into the reception area. It is all prepared and equipped for the coronavirus hygiene regimen – shoe covers, sanitisers and so on.

We could see inside the gym from the reception where we were waiting. Sohel Taj was explaining a diet to one of the members there. Then he turned to greet us. He was in his workout clothes. His muscular arms showed how fit Sohel Taj was at 50 years old. Sohel said, “I’ll give you a tour of the gym, like I do for those who want to join up as members.”

There were no doors in the gym. Sohel Taj explained, “People come to the gym for positive thoughts, for motivation. I want people to have that feeling when they come here. Each person comes with their own objectives in mind, but they all have one common goal – healthy living.”

Our tour of the gym began. It had all the latest equipment as well as professional trainers.

Sohel Taj is not only totally fit, but he embodies a healthy and wholesome lifestyle. He comes to the gym every morning from his house in DOHS house and explains the nitty-gritty of workouts to the members and even the trainers.

When did he get into exercise, body building and fitness?

From his childhood, replied Sohel Taj.

Sohel Taj works out at least four or five days a week
Kabir Hossain

He said, “You know that the four national leaders including my father were assassinated on 3 November 1975. That’s when my mother Zohra Tajuddin took up politics. So there were no routine proper meals at home. I was overweight. I was around 13 or 14 years old and people would tease me. This has a negative effect on a child.”

“I wanted to join the school football team but I wasn’t selected.” That had an impact on Sohel Taj.

“That made me determined." The Olympics were on at the time and that motivated Sohel towards physical fitness. He would run up and down the stairs of his three-storey house every day." I asked mother to buy me workout rings. I attached these to the hook on the ceiling meant for the fan and would exercise regularly.”

“A tenant who used to live on the ground floor of the building, gave me dumbbells for weightlifting.”

“I was also greatly inspired by Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Lee.”

Sohel Taj went to the US when he was 17. By then he used to exercise regularly.

One day, he went to a gym there and was impressed, but was taken aback at the cost. “I was just a student then and didn’t have the money. I used work part-time. I saved up and bought myself dumbbells and barbells and started working out.”

The ftness freak
Kabir Hossain
I want a health revolution in the country. And I want to be a part of that revolution
Sohel Taj

He would work on the night shift. Since there was less work pressure at night, he would make time to work out then.

Sohel Taj exercises regularly. He works out at least four or five days a week. He also has a controlled diet. He does not eat more than three meals a day.

Sohel Taj wants to create awareness about physical firness all over the country
Kabir Hossain

He holds out his hand to display his diet chart. The palm means protein, the four fingers are vegetable and the space near the thumb means carbohydrates. He never has sugar in is tea. “Sugar is poison, write that down,” he says firmly, “And don’t drink juice. Eat the fruit directly.”

He returned home in 1997 and became active in politics. He was elected member of the parliament from the Gazipur-4 parliamentary constituency for two consecutive terms. He was also the state minister for home affairs. Now he is far removed from politics. “I’ve retired,” he says.

He has a TV show, Hotline Commando which became hugely popular, but has stopped due to coronavirus. Now he is totally devoted to Inspire Fitness.

Talking about politics, he said politics means serving the country, the people.

“If I can help people be healthy and fit, create awareness in this regard, that too is serving the people. It will be a great service if I can keep people healthy,” he said.

He believes that a healthy lifestyle will keep the youth away from drugs and other bad habits and bring them back on track. He said that one even needs to remain healthy and fit for the sake of one’s family.

“I want a health revolution in the country. And I want to be a part of that revolution,” says Sohel Taj.

This article appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten here for the English edition