In a daring feat, Nagaraj Kharvi, a teacher from Kundapura, swam one kilometer in the Arabian Sea with his leg bound in chains in Padmasana at Thannirbavi and entered the India Book of Records.
He completed the undertaking in 25 minutes sixteen seconds (25:16:63). Kharvi started swimming at 8.55 am and completed it at 9.20 am. He used the breaststroke style in the Padmasana posture to swim.
Elated over the achievement, Kharvi told DH that noone so far had created this record in the Padmasana posture. “The DVD of the video of the feat which is signed by two gazetted officers will be sent to India Book of Records. I am planning to send a copy to the Limca Book of Records as well.”
Stating that it’s a rare achievement, he said “sitting with Padmasana posture on the floor itself is difficult. I swam with legs tied in chains in the posture. I am happy that I could complete it. Now I am feeling relaxed.”
“It was my Guru B K Naik, who motivated me throughout. Though I had learnt the art of swimming in the sea when I was in the third standard, it was B K Naik who fine-tuned my swimming skills.”
“As I hail from the fishermen community, I learnt swimming early in life. When I was in class 9, I used to go fishing in boats along with elders. After I joined work, I used to take part in swimming competitions organised for teachers in the taluk and district level, where my skill was noticed by my teacher B K Naik,” he explained.
“I had planned this a few months ago. Due to the Covid-19 induced lockdown, I could not take it up,” he said.
Hailing from Kanchugodu in Kundapura in Udupi district, Kharvi has been working as a teacher at Kalmanja Government Higher Primary School, in Bantwal taluk.
Kharvi said that he had won two gold medals and one bronze medal at the national-level swimming competition held during the Master Games Federation of India at Vadodara in Gujarat in January 2020.
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