As he celebrates the tenth year of his now famous swimming coaching in the Periyar, 55-year-old Saji Valasseril looks back with contentment at a wealth of disciples that run up to around 2,250, including adults and children.
Out of them, 426 children and 192 adults did not just learn to swim but mustered courage and expertise to cross the intimidating Periyar, while another four swam across the Vembanad Lake. Children and differently-abled were among those who crossed the Periyar.
An eye-opener
A series of mass drowning incidents beginning with 29 job aspirants in Vembanad Lake in 2002, 16 children in Thattekkad in 2007, and the loss of 45 lives in Thekkady two years later prompted the small-time furniture manufacturer from Aluva to launch swimming coaching mostly as a community service. “All those tragedies happened just a few metres away from the shore and had the victims known how to swim they would all have survived,” Mr. Valasseril said.
The training started in 2010 with the two children of Mr. Valasseril and another two children of his friend, and since then the number just soared.
He has so far trained 309 persons during the first three months of the year, which is reserved for adults, while he is eyeing to train over 1,000 during the two -month vacation, which is reserved for children.
‘Easy to learn’
“Ten days are enough to learn swimming and ten more days to make one an expert swimmer.
“Those who had completed the 20-day training then cross the river on Wednesdays and Saturdays in batches of 10. Expert swimmers among my disciples from the respective year lend their assistance,” said Mr. Valasseril.
A state-of-the art ambulance and a big country boat with an oarsman remain on standby all through the training, which is held between 6.15 a.m. and 9.30 a.m, and during river crossings by students.
The daily expense of nearly ₹1,000 towards ambulance and boat rents, besides stationary expense, is collected from among the participants of the day, a job entrusted with four coordinators chosen from among the participants. There, however, is one condition which Mr. Valasseril does not compromise with. He won’t train any child unless he or she is accompanied by a parent.
“Any child new to swimming will have to be taken care of like a toddler, and it is imperative that the parent also takes interest,” he said.