The Hindu : Sport : Salute the Major

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 15, 2005

Sport

Sport - Sports : General

Salute the Major

By A. Joseph Antony

HYDERABAD, MARCH 14 . Major Ashok Kumar Singh, world record holder as the first physically challenged sailor to circumnavigate the globe on board The Trishna, has sent in his entry for the IFDS multi-hull world championships at Kelowna in British Columbia, Canada, from July 4 to 9.

Disabled after a hang gliding accident in 1983 that necessitated amputation of his left leg, the Kirti Chakra and Sena Medal winner will steer his craft with the help of a trap seat specially fitted for disabled helmsmen. As a dry run he will take part in the National Hobie Cat championships at Visakhapatnam from May 2 to 6.

Speaking of Singh's efforts, Arjuna Awardee and International Sailing Federation (ISAF) International Juror (IJ) C.S. Pradipak said the veteran seaman was looking for sponsorship back up to his campaign and support from the Yachting Association of India (YAI), headquartered at Mumbai.

Undeterred by the disability, Singh was keen to come back to competitive sailing, he added.

Winner of the gold in the Asian windsurfing championships in Thailand in 1982, Singh claimed bronze in the international open wind surfing championship in Goa in the same year and finished third in the OK Dinghy single-hander championships in Bombay in 1978. He represented India in the Youth Olympics at Munich in 1972, the European windsurfing championship at Kiel, Germany, and Nordic championships at Malmo, Sweden.

Described by Dom Moraes as a `folk hero of sorts' and an `enigmatic figure' in his book Trishna, Singh's 30,000 nautical mile odyssey was acknowledged by the Royal Yachting Association, UK, the National Geographic Association, USA, the Guinness and the Limca Book of Records.

A post graduate in engineering from the College of Military Engineering (CME), Pune, he was decorated with the Sword of Honour for best gentleman cadet and President's Gold Medal for academic performance at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. In 1994, Singh was presented the President's National Adventure Award, the nation's highest honour in the category.

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