City’s Ishwari becomes world’s 1st blind swimmer to cross Palk Strait

Nagpur: Visually-impaired Nagpur swimmer Ishwari Pande scripted history in the last land of India on Monday.The 17-year-old Ishwari became the world's first completely blind swimmer to cross the Palk Strait from Sri Lanka to India. With an aim to create the world record, Ishwari started her sojourn at the Urmalai Point near Talaimannar in Sri Lanka at 4am. The Nagpur girl completed the challenging journey when she reached Arichalmunai, Dhanushkodi, at 3.15 pm. Battling against strong ocean currents, shifting tides and encounters with jellyfish, Ishwari demonstrated exceptional endurance and mental strength throughout her 11-hour, 15-minute swim time. Daughter of Kamlesh and Aruna Pande, Ishwari has consistently proven her ability in open-water challenges. Despite being blind since birth, she has emerged as a symbol of resilience and unwavering determination. The officials who took note of Ishwari's attempt included M Vijayakumar, an observer from the Para Swimming Federation of India, along with Jayakumar of the Tamil Nadu Open Water Swimming Association and observer Sukhdev Dhurve. The historic event was organised by Shark Aquatic Sporting Association Nagpur, and Ishwari was accompanied on the challenging attempt by her international coach Sanjay Batwe. During the expedition, she was motivated and escorted by expert swimmers including Bhavi Rajgire, Ishant Pande, Sandeep Vaidy, Nirav Pandiy and Dr Abhay Rajgire.