John Samson Arnold winning the Senior Mr Madurai title in January 2026 (Image Credit: John Samson Arnold)
By Vijayalakshmi Sridhar
A preoccupation with a muscular and lean physique leads to several mental health problems, the worst of which is muscle dysmorphia. Many young men become body builders to sculpt an identity, but some go too far.
Madurai, a city in southern Tamil Nadu, is known mainly for the Meenakshi temple with its hall of 1000 pillars, but the jasmine flowers known as ‘Madurai malli’ and the sweet milky drink known as ‘Jigarthanda’ have also taken the city’s name far and wide.
However, another local tradition that has caught on and is making waves across the state is younger men working towards building chiseled bodies. “From overexercising to eating, young men do everything to manipulate [their] appearance,” said a Madurai-based psychiatrist, Dr.Vidhya.S.
For 24-year-old John Samson Arnold, the pressure was both internal and external. He grew up in Thoothukudi, about 150 kilometres south east of Madurai. A puny kid, he weighed only 40 kgs even when he was 16. Along came low immunity and low muscle mass. But his father and grandfather were legendary body-builders and trainers, who had won the Mr Tamil Nadu competition multiple times. Arnold saw rigorous training and the transformations of their students unfold in front of his eyes.
All Arnold wanted was their attention. “I wanted to have an identity through body-building,” he said, “and turn the public’s eye on me.”
He began training under his father, James Ponraj. Within a year, at the age of 19, Arnold won first place in the Junior Mr Madurai 55 kg category.
For Arnold, the next stop was the Senior Mr Madurai and, eventually, Mr Tamil Nadu.
Body building in Tamil Nadu
Thanks to representation in international sporting events, body building, as a sport, mostly evokes scenes of strong Haryanvi men (and women), with oiled bodies picking up impossible weights to audience claps. However, Tamil Nadu has seen a gradual transformation over the years.
Stories about Chennai’s R Manikandan, who represented India at a bodybuilding competition in Uzbekistan, and M Arasu, who won the Mr India title six times, have become commonplace.
In the same breath, news of young people dying while working out is also increasing in numbers. Robo Shankar, a 41-year-old who was a former Mr Madurai and Mr Tamil Nadu, died after an intense workout; Sri Vishnu, 27, saw a similar fate after his time in the gym in 2022.
For many men, the line between physical fitness and ‘macho’ appearance blurs dangerously. “If only the aesthetics tend to dominate, then it’s a disorder,” said Dr Malthy Simha, a Chennai-based psychologist, who is trained in cognitive behavioural therapy.
“Muscle dysmorphia is marked by preoccupation with a muscular and lean physique,” according to research by Harvard Medical School. “While the more extreme behaviors that define this disorder appear only in a small percentage of boys and young men, it may color the mindset of many more.”
The obvious avenue for many young men to train is to look at online videos. “Many take advice from YouTube and Instagram,” said Dr Vidhya, “and there are too many who claim to be experts in training, without appropriate credentials.”
The burden of family heritage
Thankfully Arnold had brilliant trainers at home. “The only way to get through is to follow the trainer’s advice blindly,” he said. Early mornings he chomped down half a kilo of beef and 15-20 egg whites, before climbing the steps of a rock that houses the Thiruparankundram temple at its peak.
However, despite winning the Junior Madurai contest, Arnold’s body stayed flat without cuts and plateaued at a weight below 50 kgs. His father asked him to wear full-sleeved shirts so he could hide his puny biceps. Arnold said he even avoided looking in the mirror. He ate a lot and tried to rest even when he felt anxious, he added.
Before it evolved into a competitive sport, body-building was closely associated with wrestling or Gusthi. There is evidence in sculptures, especially in the Vijayanagara empire, that it was a recreational sport for the royalty, says Dr Mahalingam, an academic historian and Assistant Professor and Head, Department of Medieval History at Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai.
As the legend goes, in the late sixties, Arnold’s grandfather D J R John Kanakaraj had astonished the city by his sculpted physique. Over his lifetime, Kanakaraj opened three gyms in Madurai, whose walls were plastered with photos of Bruce Lee and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In 1985, Kanakaraj founded the bodybuilders’ association in Madurai, separating it from the weightlifters’ association, which it was originally combined with.
Such illustrious heritage put extra pressure on Arnold. “I do not have friends. I don’t party or have other hobbies,” he said.
Young men struggle to meet their own and others’ expectations and get dejected if they fail, said Dr Vidya. “They are vulnerable to food, supplements, and drug abuse.”
Dr Simha agreed. “If they do not achieve what they aimed for, the inadequacy leads to anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and/or a deep-seated sense of shame and loss,” she added.
Women and body building
For women, body building has expressly different goals. “Women bodybuilders always face societal rejection,” said Divya N V, the winner of several powerlifting titles including Strong Women Asia 2025. For instance, bodybuilder Veronica Annamary’s mother doesn’t like to see her in training clothes, even though her daughter has won many prestigious titles.
Dr Simha said the psychological drive for bodybuilding is different for men and women. “For men, it is to look big and add mass, whereas for women, looking lean and aesthetic,” she added.
After lots of hard work, at 24, Arnold finally won the Senior Mr Madurai title in January 2026, fulfilling his father’s and grandfather’s dreams.
“In my practice I have seen men who are incredibly fit, yet under-confident,” said Dr Simha.
Arnold, fortunately, is not one of them. After a romantic relationship didn’t work, Arnold channelled his anger towards his training. “Competitions help us understand that strength is not equal to masculinity,” he said.
Author: Vijayalakshmi Sridhar
Vijayalakshmi Sridhar is a features and fiction writer from Chennai.