Mihir sen biography of mahatma
In 1988 on August 22nd, I became the 16th Indian to swim the English Channel. On 75th anniversary of Independence in Sport perhaps India has done itself prouder at the English Channel than anyone else. Above all the Indian woman have qualitatively overshadowed the Indian men at the Channel, as well as many underdogs from the lower echelons of society have transcended this barrier.
How wonderful it would be if the long distance swimming potential of the Indian people is untapped with regular training camps, even in seas and rivers. India can be proud of being one of the finest performers at the Channel, with a record better than swimmers from any South Asian country or African nation. I regret that the majority of the community of Channel swimmers was not felicitated properly, by the nation or state. Perhaps India should emulate the example of the ex-Socialist countries, in integrating sports culture at the very grassroots.
I regret that I can hardly name Channel swimmers who were an integral part of a revolutionary movement. How heartening it would be if Channel swimmers could be absorbed into the revolutionary movement or speak out against imperialism or fascism. Maybe clubs should be formed worldwide amongst progressive activists to promote spirit of adventure and conquest.
It is not only about the distance but confronting the bitter cold and the most powerful currents. I can never forget the gruelling hours I spent in acclimatizing myself to the conditions before swimming it, like all the Channel Swimmers. The feat literally takes mental resilience or tenacity to it's highest scale of intensity.
Till today 1881 swimmers have swum the English Channel, with 63 percent male, and 37 percent female. Overall 2,428 solo swim shave been accomplished.
There is symmetry in the mindset, or mental resilience of revolutionaries striving for liberation, with the task of swimming the English Channel. Revolutionary experiences the same twists and turn
Governing Board Member
Dr. Aparna Dasgupta, Chairperson , PIDT is a Sanskrit scholar with a doctorate from the University of Bombay on Manusmriti. She has many publications to her credit including “Work Opportunities for Women in India – Vol I & II”, “Domestic Workers”, Äction Oriented Training Research & Implementation”. She has also translated many of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagores songs to Hindi and the “Tash ka Desh”- a Hindi translation of Rabindranath Tagores Bengali dance drama “Tasher Desh”. She served as Director, PIDT for over two decades in the tribal belt of Santhal Parganas leading to enormous work in Jharkhand and erstwhile Bihar in education and empowerment of women. She is well travelled and has presented a number of papers in different countries.
Prof. Buddhadeb Choudhury, has been the Dr. Ambedkar Chair in Calcutta University. He is a well known scholar of Social Anthropology and Human Rights with a Doctorate from Calcutta University. He has a number of publications to his credit including , “Tribal Development in India: Problems and Prospects”, “Tribal Transformation in India- 5 volumes”, “Bakreshwar Temple: Continuity and Change “, “Tribal Health- Socio cultural Dimensions”, “Forest and Forest Development in India”, Öur Land Our Life: Agarian Policy Crisis in Asia ”,”Faltering First Step: reasons for Disparity of Sex Ratio at Primary Education Level.” He is well travelled and has guided a large number of Researchers and doctoral students.
Dr. Kalpana Mohanty, hails from a family of freedom fighters and Nation Builders. She has a degrees in English Literature, Philosophy, Rural Development, Gandhian Thought and Peace Studies and completed her Doctoral studies from Gandhigram Rural University. She has worked with many reputed organizations including ASSEFA, Plan International, JNU, UNICEF, AVARD, SRCAE, Shanti Ashram. She has studied under great educationists like Shri. J. Krishnamurthi and Dr. M. Aram. She is widel Of late, I have become rather fascinated and even slightly obsessed with endurance athletes. For instance, I recently stumbled on the Netflix movie on Diana Nyad, a woman who swam from Cuba to Florida at the age of 60. So it was intriguing to read about an equally gritty long-distance swimmer, who emerged from India at a time when few women were encouraged to participate in sports. Though the book is targeted at children, this Talking Cub title – The Incredible Life of Arati Saha – can also be soaked up by adults interested in erstwhile female athletes. Besides, it might be salutary for this cricket-dominated nation to recognize that Indians have broken records and achieved physically-impressive feats in other sports. From A River Bank to a Pool Arati was only a toddler when she lost her mother. Her younger sister – just an infant then – and older brother were dispatched to her maternal grandparents. Her father, who worked at the army, did not think he could raise three children. So Arati was the only child who stayed with the paternal joint family, taking refuge in her thakuma (grandmother) and kakis (aunts). This was India in the 1940s, just before the country got its Independence, and faced the upheaval of Partition. Cavorting with a medley of uncles, aunts and cousins, little Arati headed to the Champatala Ghat to bathe every day in the Hoogly River. After all, as Sengupta reminds us, in those days, few houses had water piped indoors. Bathing was always in lakes or rivers. From her cousins, Arati learned to do doob snataar (swimming underwater). Before long, she was swimming across short distances, without holding onto a floating banana trunk. Her father, still misted over by grief, was struck by her prowess. And decided to send her to the Hatkhola Swimming Club, where there was a large pool. An Aqua-Prodigy Emerges At the pool, she quickly mastered all four strokes – free styl
Of An Indian Woman Who Crossed the English Channel