India is an ancient country. The Mohenjodaro remains, dating back to 3250 BC to 2750 BC, when the Indus Valley civilization was in full glory seem to indicate that swimming was an important game. There is strong evidence of the presence of the “Great Bath” which is similar to the present day swimming pools. The medieval empires also had swimming pools indicating that swimming was common.

A significant part of the Indian population (almost 80%) live in smaller towns and villages. Both as a general activity and sporting event, swimming is not as popular in India as one would expect it to be.  It does not have considerable following. This can be attributed to a lack of infrastructure and social stigma associated with “women in scanty clothes”. For the small population who can afford the astronomical cost of the swimming pool membership fees, there is inadequate scientific training methods used. Added to it is the discrimination. As a girl, I was only allowed one half-hour slot on one day of the week!  This was the “women’s time”!! So, here I am, fulfilling my childhood desire to learn to swim and get to my goal of someday successfully completing a Triathlon!

The monsoons in India lasts from June to November and brings rain and much respite from the summer heat. Rivers and lakes are full during this time and gives people a chance to cool down. It is not uncommon to see people taking a dip in the lakes, ponds, rivers and even in wells!

On a recent trip to a town near the city of Bangalore, I came across a man trying to teach his kid to swim. He was using an aid, something that I call an “incredible floatation device”. The kid had this yellow plastic pot tied around his waist (the pot was sealed, of course) to help him float. The dad held on to the “leash” tied to the waist of the progeny. The kid would jump into the lake, go some distance splashing his arms and legs and the dad would pull him back when he had gone too far. I did not stand around long enough to see if he was really making progress. But maybe this is a time-tested way to learning basic swimming skills in that town. It is indeed a very innovative use of the plastic pot. I am sure that the maker of the pot did not foresee this use!

Picture courtesy Amit Basu

India’s pathetic show in competitive swimming is obviously not a surprise. However, there have been a few Indian swimmers who have trained abroad under coaches and have done reasonably well. They include Bula Chowdhury, Anita Sood, Mihir Sen and Khazan Singh. Some of them have received acclaim for having swum across the English Channel as well. Hopefully, we will see some swimming stars in the next decade.