More than muscles
Usually a muscular body is seen as a sign of masculinity. Young men aspire to have a body like Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan or John Abraham. But for Dinesh Kumar, being a body builder means much more than just good looks or displaying one's masculinity.
Dinesh got HIV at birth because his mother received infected blood during pregnancy. To spread awareness about the disease, Dinesh has taken up the art of bodybuilding. “I want HIV/AIDS to be accepted in the mainstream—it should be looked at like any other disease. People should not discriminate—because we can lead a good, healthy life even with HIV,” says Dinesh.
With the advantage of being a role model for young people, he spreads awareness about the dangers of unsafe sexual practices among the youth. He tells them how not wearing a condom during sex should not be a way to assert one's masculinity and feels that this type of irresponsible masculinity is harmful for men and women. Dinesh now is trying to redefine masculinity in his surrounding areas. “Instead of using their masculinity to harm others, I want young people to channelize it in some good work,'he says.