Satendra Singh Lohiya - Swimming with the sharks, gunning for glory!

Pictures Courtesy/ Satendra Singh Lohiya

Self-determination and self-confidence go a long way. For para swimmer Satendra Singh Lohiya, these virtues are a way of life. He has taken his struggles head-on and overcame difficulties to move ahead in his career, and how!

Satendra Singh Lohiya is not only a talented para-swimmer but a warm and humble human being as well. Earlier this year, Lohiya became the first para-swimmer of Asia, who went on to cross the 42 k.m. Catalina Channel of America in just 11.34 hours.

mid-day first interacted with him in 2017 (which he clearly remembers) and a lot has changed for him since those three years. Satendra Singh has gone on to win many laurels for the country in the field of para-swimming and has never looked back.

The life before

Satendra Singh Lohiya spoke in detail about his childhood days addressing how he was paralysed. Satendra recalled, "Well, I was born in a small village in Gata of the Bhind district in Madhya Pradesh. About 2-3 months after birth, my body underwent a reaction due to diarrhoea, however, there was no serious problem that cropped up at the time. Years later, when I was in my teens, this sickness came back to haunt me. "

"It was during my school days, that I began to learn swimming in a river that was located near my village. However, I would not call it professional swimming. I did not even know that such a thing as para-swimming ever existed. I swam clearly for the pure fun and excitement as well as to keep my body fit," he added.

Lohiya wanted to pursue something more in life. Although he came from a middle-class family, struggling to accumulate finances, he did not want to give up. His family decided to sell the piece of land that they owned in order to build a home for Satendra and his siblings to bring about a change in their lives. Once in Gwalior, Satendra's father sold off their land and purchased a house for him and his three brothers and also utilised the money for Satendra's physiotherapy. Satendra then worked at the sales tax department in Indore for quite a few years.

Once, a friend of Lohiya informed him about a certain professor by the name of VK Dabas who helped him travel to places such as the UK and Thailand. He was also informed about an institute in Gwalior that focused on physical education of students.

Lohiya said, "When I met VK Dabas sir, he wanted to test my swimming skills and seemed quite impressed with it. I began training with him for a while, but in 2007, after my family was hit by yet another financial crisis, I avoided attending the school. A year later in 2008, I participated in the para-swimming competition in Gwalior and in 2009 I was taken to Kolkata for the nationals where I won a bronze medal. Gradually, I began motivating myself to think positively and focus on the solution instead of the problem."

Five years later in 2014, Satendra Singh received the Vikram Award, which is the highest state-level sports awards in Madhya Pradesh. After that, he had one goal in mind - to cross the English Channel. However, he did not have the financial backing to pursue this - given the standard of living in the UK. At first, when he approached the government for financial help, his request was denied on grounds that he was 'handicapped'. They later asked him to compete at a swimming event in Mumbai and would sponsor him if he succeeded.

Satendra Singh was employed as a clerk at the Registrar office located in Gwalior till December 2015. The Madhya Pradesh government later assisted him in getting a new job at the commercial tax department in May 2016.

He then found help in the form of Tata Trusts, which supported him in his endeavour to pursue his dreams. In 2017, he competed in the 30 km para-swimming in the Arabian Sea and later on, the English channel. However, he was still promised an opportunity to try again the following year.

Lohiya won the gold medal for India at Olympic Swimming NSW-2017 State Open Championship in Sydney of Australia. In May 2017, he swam a distance of 33 k.m. under open water sea swimming. On June 24, 2018, Shri Lohiya set a record with para-swimming relay team at English Channel Catalina Swimming and created history by swimming the English Channel on August 18, 2019.

Lohiya was bestowed with the prestigious Tenzing Norgay Adventure Award-2019 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in August this year. He is the first-ever handicapped sportsperson in the history of sports in the country to have ever received this award, which was conferred upon him by none other than President Shri Ramnath Kovind.

Satendra Singh Lohiya winning the award. Picture Courtesy/ Sports Authority of India

In a tete-a-tete, Satendra Singh Lohiya discussed his inspiration behind swimming, his favourite sportsperson, his future plans some of his hobbies and more. Excerpts:

The inspiration behind you pursuing swimming as a profession
My inspiration is to bring about a change in the way society thinks. I want to throw light on the struggles that para-athletes face in their daily lives. My true objective is to help athletes such as us to believe in themselves. My aim is to succeed in what I do in order to provide a similar platform for other such athletes in future.

What was your thought process while swimming long distance such as the English channel in such cold temperature along with sharks around?
Yes, I did have to acclimatise my body to suit the cold temperature. But swimming is 99 per cent mind, 1 per cent body. I truly believe that if an individual steps up to do something good, nothing bad can come of it. I have always had a positive approach to life. I do not think of the problem, but my 'superpower' to overcome it.

(He goes on to quote a rhyme...)
"Jo chala gaya, usse socha nahi karte,
Jo mil gaya, usse khoya nahi karte,
Milti hai safalta unko hi,
Jo waqt aur halaat pe roya nahi karte."
(What's gone by, one should not think about,
What's gained cannot be lost,
Success is achieved by those,
Who do not fret about times and situations)

Tell us three important things you have learned in your career so far.
First - Do not consider yourself weak.
Second - Do not ponder too much about the past.
Third - Have no regrets.
(He goes on to add a fourth) - Always remember and thank the ones who have helped you along the way.

What are your career goals for the future? Any tournaments you aim to participate in?
The North Channel swim is something that I plan to pursue in August 2021. Hopefully, if the coronavirus pandemic settles down, we can compete in that event.

What are the other sports that you like? Do you have a favourite sportsperson?
Yes, I like watching a lot of sports like cricket, tennis and many others. My favourite sportsperson is Michael Phelps because he has done the unthinkable (winning so many gold medals at the Olympics).

How do you plan to inspire other such para-athletes to pursue such sports as a career?
I plan to open up a sports academy in future. I have plans to start a YouTube channel and encourage other para-athletes through motivational speeches and proper guidance on achieving their goal. In such a day and age, I plan to bring the benefits of advanced technology to their doorstep to help them pursue their dreams.

What do you like doing in your free time?
I love reading books and watching movies, mostly sports biopics. One of my favourites is Dangal.

Satendra Singh Lohiya has also won 12 silver and 8 bronze medals across various national competitions and many other international accolades. He has also been recommended for the prestigious Padma Shri Award.

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