Walter Chit Tun ( my, ဝေါ်လတာချစ်ထွန်း), Mon: ဝလ်တာ ချေတ်ထောန်) (1898–1947) was a pioneer of body building and

weightlifting Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various types of competition; promo ...

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

(now

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

). He was an ethnic Mon and born in

Moulmein Mawlamyine (also spelled Mawlamyaing; , ; th, เมาะลำเลิง ; mnw, မတ်မလီု, ), formerly Moulmein, is the fourth-largest city in Myanmar (Burma), ''World Gazetteer'' south east of Yangon and south of Thaton, at th ...

(present-day Mawlamyine) in British Burma to parents Dr Chit Tun and Daw Thein Ngwe in 1898. Walter Chit Tun shares the honor of being one of the first 18 Great Myanmars.

Becoming bodybuilder

Walter Chit Tun studied at Rangoon's St. Paul Convent School and continued to

Rangoon University '') , mottoeng = There's no friend like wisdom. , established = , type = Public , rector = Dr. Tin Mg Tun , undergrad = 4194 , postgrad = 5748 , city = Kamayut 11041, Yangon , state = Yangon Regio ...

. Because of the threats to his life due to his organizing students to stand up for the people's rights, he went on to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

to study where he led a revival in the movement, Muscle Control, while also rallying the students of India to fight for their liberties. He influenced many leaders in

physical culture Physical culture, also known as Body culture, is a health and strength training movement that originated during the 19th century in Germany, the UK and the US. Origins The physical culture movement in the United States during the 19th century ...

. He wrote a document titled, ''Barbell Exercises'', that combined the physical and mental condition of the ideal bodybuilder that became the tenets for Muscle Control. It became a phenomenon in

's physical culture.

Life as medical doctor

Walter Chit Tun completed studying medicine in

Calcutta University The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate State university (India), state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered ...

and went on to work at Rangoon Mental Hospital (Tadalay). There, he served as Superintendent of Tadalay Hospital. It was his dream to open a private hospital to assist those who were not being aided. However, he died before this dream was ever achieved.

Life as movie star

Walter Chit Tun was one of the first Burmese

movie stars A movie star (also known as a film star or cinema star) is an actor or actress who is famous for their starring, or leading, roles in movies. The term is used for performers who are marketable stars as they become popular household names and wh ...

. He appeared in the Burmese movie, '' Pan Bai Maung Tint Tai''. However, Walter Chit Tun died in a motorcycle accident on 19 November 1947 after an interview for a Burmese

publication To publish is to make content available to the general public.Berne Conve ...

. The accident involved

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

escorts. He was survived by his wife, a British woman, Barbara Margaret King, and their children, including Walter Chit Tun, II. He is the grandfather of Joshua Chit Tun, a US based movie producer and philanthropist.

References

1898 births Burmese Mon people 1947 deaths Burmese male bodybuilders Burmese psychiatrists Burmese male film actors Burmese male weightlifters University of Calcutta alumni People from Mawlamyine {{bodybuilding-bio-stub