Shortest body builder & fitness enthusiast Pratik Vitthal Mohite has big goals lined up

Pratik Vitthal Mohite, 24 years old, was diagnosed with dwarfism while studying in class 7. Pratik, who has won numerous prizes and championships, claims to be the world’s shortest body builder. In spite of the many hardships, he has moved forward with confidence and has many goals to achieve.

Living with a disability in India brings numerous challenges. Lack of awareness in society, inaccessible and non- disabled friendly spaces add to the woes. 24-year-old Pratik Vitthal Mohite was diagnosed with dwarfism while in school. Needless to say, he has gone through many hardships. But his love for body building and fitness remained constant since childhood. Pratik, who claims to be the world’s ‘shortest body builder’ is a winner in many ways.

Childhood days

Pratik was born and raised at Khopoli, a small town in Maharashtra. His family comprised of parents and a sibling. Since childhood, Pratik’s parents noticed that his height was affected. So they consulted him to a few local doctors and started using their remedies, but in vain as nothing worked on him. It was while studying in class 7 that Pratik was diagnosed with dwarfism. His parents were shocked, but they tried to do everything in their best to reach out to him.

Remember nine-year-old boy Quaden Bayles with dwarfism from Australia? The young boy broke hearts of people across the world after a video of him crying went viral on social media. Bayles was mocked by his peers after which he started crying uncontrollably. From this side of the world, Pratik connects to Bayles when he talks about his school days.

“My teachers were friendly and they did support me. But there were students who harassed and mocked me because I was short. But there were many who supported me during tough times too”, he says.

Pratik still remembers how street dogs used to chase him while on his way to school. Locals who saw this used to burst out into laughter mocking Pratik who always tried and controlled the pain.

Determined to complete schooling, Pratik completed class 12 in commerce.

A passionate fitness enthusiast

From childhood, Pratik loved experimenting with fitness and was a body building enthusiast. His goal was to become a fitness expert.

“I wanted to take up something special. Everyone targets my body, so I decided to make my body proud. I started my professional journey towards fitness since the year 2011. It has been a great ride since then”, he says.

Pratik had a lot of support from his friends, but not much from family. “It took me a lot of time to travel to college and back. So many people pulled me back and asked me to quit my passion including my parents”, says Pratik who considers the Indian army as his role model.

As years passed, Pratik’s curiosity towards fitness and body building reached bigger heights. Till date, he has received over 44 trophies for various competitions. He won the ‘Mr Raigad’ title twice, ‘Maharashtra Shree’ silver medal and also world’s record title for shortest competitive bodybuilder.

“My goal in life is to achieve the Mr World title in bodybuilding. I want to live and breathe fitness”, he says.

Life is not a cakewalk for this youngster who is in dire need of a job. He hopes that he can get a government job or a sponsorship so that he can pursue his fitness dreams. “Money plays a vital role. I have realized that there are going to be many problems in life, doesn’t matter whether you have a disability or not. What matters is what you have achieved. You can turn your weaknesses into strengths. Don’t give up till the world recognizes you”, says Pratik.

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