Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

True to her name

PHOTO: RAJU V.

Raring to go: Nava Shakthi is a picture of confidence before she took the plunge into the Krishna in Vijayawada on Wednesday. —

VIJAYAWADA: Nava Shakthi and Mukesh from Tirupati on Wednesday proved to the world that age hardly matters when it comes to reaching the set goals with determination.

Shakthi, who is just three years and seven months of age, completed two laps, covering a distance of three km, while five-year-old Mukesh completed four laps, covering a distance of six km, in the ‘Krishna River Cross – 2007’ competitions organised by the Krishna District Amateur Aquatic Association (KDAAA) at Prakasam Barrage.

Until now an annual feature, the event is the most sought-after one by the youngsters, as it gives them an opportunity to challenge the mighty Krishnaveni.

The event received an overwhelming response from children in four age categories, as was evident from the enthusiastic manner in which 35 children, who came along with parents and friends, gathered at the APTDC boating point at Lotus Food Court in Seethanagaram to take a plunge.

“Our primary motto is to remove the fear factor from children. Children who swim in rivers and seas grow more in confidence. There is a lot of difference between swimming in a pool and in a river,” said KDAAA president Velagapudi Ramakrishna. Secretary P. Narasimha Rao said that the event would, henceforth, be held in the city once in two years. The cynosure of eyes of curious onlookers was, undoubtedly, Shakthi, a kindergarten student from Tirupati, who was the youngest participant. “No one has covered three km in river crossing at this age. We will be sending all necessary papers and video footage of the performances of Shakthi and Mukesh to the authorities of Limca Book of Records to enable their names to enter the prestigious book,” said organising secretary Sk. Sydulla. Vijayawada’s Sk. Sameer, along with K. Prudhvi Raj and K. Ashish, won the coveted first three places in the under-12 segment.

The organisers took all precautionary measures by pressing into service more than dozen country boats with professional swimmers on board to keep a watch on the swimmers. VGTM-UDA chairman Malladi Vishnu, who flagged off the competitions, appreciated the KDAAA for organising the river-crossing meet for the children. Mayor Mallika Begum, Vijaya Krishna Super Bazaar chairman Adapa Nagendra Babu and others took part in the prize distribution function.

Sujan, a UKG student of V.P. Siddhartha Public School, should be considered a braveheart for many reasons. The lad, who was ill for a long time following the accident of leak of chlorine gas during his practice in the Sir Vizzi swimming pool in Gandhinagar in early 2006, arrived on the banks of the Krishna along with his parents to participate in the 1.5-km river crossing to prove to the world that he still loved swimming despite the accident.

The gas leak led to Sujan slipping into coma for over 25 days. He took rest for a few weeks after recovery and the first thing he did after recuperating was to take a plunge in the pool. “We regard the incident as a bad dream. He is so passionate about swimming and we’ll support him wholeheartedly,” said his father C. Choudhary. Much to relief of his parents, Sujan covered the distance in the under-6 category without any fuss.

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