Panaji: VK Dabas has seen para swimming grow by leaps and bounds since first taking a dive into the pool to teach children with polio the art of swimming.
It was early 1996 when Dabas had returned from Germany where he rubbed his eyes in disbelief as the physically challenged played “sitting volleyball”. His own daughter, Asmita, was his first student as they joined hands to fight cerebral palsy with swimming.
“She improved a lot and I got huge satisfaction,” Dabas, now chairman of Para Swimming, Paralympic Committee of India, told TOI.“She used to cry a lot, but I did not care. The benefits of aqua therapy were obvious.”
Dabas then extended his experiment to four children, all with polio, during the lunch break at the Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE), Gwalior. Soon enough, he formed the Swimming Association India for Disabled, held the first national championships and ensured participation of over 150 para swimmers from 16 states.
“It was a great beginning for the sport,” said Dabas.
Close to half a century later, the sport has made big progress.
“We have won about 350 international medals, 300 para swimmers have got govt jobs. We have a Padma Shri (Satendra Singh Lohiya), Arjuna Award winners (Suyash Jadhav, Swapnil Patil) as well. But my dream is to see one of our own win a medal at the Paralympics,” said Dabas, founder and CEO of the Para Swimming Federation of India.
At the just-concluded National Para Swimming Championships at Campal, a total of 29 new Indian records were created.
“Overall, the performance was very encouraging. A lot of these swimmers are serious about breaking records outside India too. They are good. With dedication and a little bit of push from everyone, they can do wonders,” said Dabas.
Arjuna Award winner Suyash Jadhav was India’s lone representative in para swimming at the Paris Paralympics early this year.
But like Dabas pointed out, a new group of para swimmers are now determined to overcome the odds.
Tejas Nandakumar, just 19, is among the new kids on the block. With four gold medals and a new meet record in 100m freestyle, Tejas was crowned the individual champion at the National Championships in Goa. He’s now headed to Germany for advanced training as he chases international glory.
Then there is Punith Nandakumar, a champion para-swimmer who set a new Asian record in 200m butterfly event.
“It’s not easy to win a medal at the Paralympics, which is the biggest stage for para sports, but I am confident once I get there, a medal won’t be out of reach,” said Punith. “Medals at the Paralympics cannot be won by the individual’s effort alone. We need support from everyone. Everyone seems bowled over by cricket, but if we get similar support, India can overcome China in the medals tally (at Paralympics). All we ask is just watch us. Many don’t even know that there’s something called para sports.”