‘Turning IFA Classic into a Major International Event is My Biggest Dream’: NABBA/WFF Assam President Binita Lahkar

Binita was born in a family of athletes in the Assam province of India. Her father, her uncles, her elder sister, almost everyone in the family was an athlete. However, she was more into cultural activities than athletics in her childhood. Today, as the president of NABBA/WFF Assam, she is contributing immensely to the field of fitness and bodybuilding in Assam and outside.

Despite hailing from a family of athletes, Binita first came to learn about the world of fitness after getting married to Manoj Talukdar, a former national level bodybuilder. “It was his lifestyle that first introduced me to the world of fitness and bodybuilding. His diet, his workouts gave me some insight into the field.” She says. However, she had not thought about getting involved in the field of fitness until 2013.

2013 was the year when the NABBA/WFF Mr India was held in Guwahati. Binita was employed with Bank of Baroda in Guwahati and the NABBA/WFF opened their account in the branch where she was working. For banking transactions she came in contact with NABBA/WFF India president Dhiraj Mohan Das. She started visiting various events and her interest grew. In 2015 she got actively involved with NABBA/WFF. Gradually she became the President of NABBA/WFF Assam. Since the very beginning she has been an integral part of NABBA/WFF. She attributes her involvement with the organisation to its president Dhiraj Mohan Das. “It is solely because of Dhiraj that I got involved with NABBA/WFF. He showed confidence in me and encouraged me to get actively involved in NABBA/WFF.” She says.

Binita Lahkar has been actively promoting fitness and bodybuilding throughout Assam and other parts of India. She has been encouraging many people especially women and girls to pursue fitness. “Many women stop caring about their fitness after marriage. For various reasons they give up pursuing fitness. I encourage them to stay fit so that they can stay happy. As far as competitive fitness is concerned, I encourage them to come forward and first enjoy the environment. Once they start enjoying the environment at our events, the automatically become confident. A lot of such women have seen significant progress.” She says.

“Many young men and women start working out to maintain their fitness. But many of them have found a lucrative career in the field of fitness. It can be a great career opportunity for these people. Even some people from the very remote areas and from not-so-privileged backgrounds are also finding fitness as a livelihood opportunity.” Says Binita Lahkar.

In order to provide a platform for fitness athletes and bodybuilders, NABBA/WFF has introduced many events all over India. In Assam, Binita Lahkar has played a significant role in this regard. One of the leading competitions she is very enthusiastic about is the IFA Classic. She has big dreams for the IFA Classic. “My dream is to see IFA Classic as a major international competition. There are some challenges but I am hopeful we will be able to achieve our goal. This year we are going to see some international athletes for the time in IFA Classic.” She says.

I can be mentioned here that the IFA Classic will be held on 9^th February 2019 in Guwahati city in the Assam province of North-eastern India.

Some moments from IFA CLassic 2018