Mihir sen swimmer biography
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Mihir Sen
Indian swimmer
Mihir Sen (16 November 1930 – 11 June 1997) was a famous Indian long distance swimmer and lawyer. He was the first Asian to conquer the English Channel from Dover to Calais in 1958,[1] and did so in the fastest time (14 hrs & 45 mins). He was the only man to swim the oceans of the five continents in one calendar year (1966). These included the Palk Strait, Dardanelles, Bosphorus, Gibraltar, and the entire length of the Panama Canal.[2] This unique achievement earned him a place in The Guinness Book of Records as the "world's greatest long distance swimmer".[3]
Early life
[edit]Mihir Sen was born in a Baidya-Brahmin family[4] on 16 November 1930 in Purulia, West Bengal, to physician Ramesh Sengupta and his wife, Lilabati. Largely due to the efforts of his mother Lilabati, the Sens moved to Cuttack when Mihir was eight, as Cuttack had better schools.[2]
Mihir graduated with a degree in law from the Utkal University in Bhubaneswar in Odisha. He wanted to travel to England to prepare himself for the bar but was constrained by lack of funds. However, with the financial help of then Chief Minister of Orissa, Biju Patnaik in 1950 he was able to board a ship to England to pursue his studies.
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Mihir Sen, Asia’s first English Channel swimmer in 1958 who was targeted by Jyoti Basu
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Cuttack to Calais
Mihir Sen was born in a village in undivided Bengal in 1930, and grew up in Cuttack, Orissa (now Odisha). As a boy, he had dreamt of studying abroad. Since his father was a local doctor of limited means, Mihir’s dream could have only come true with some help. And that assistance came from a rather unexpected quarter.
When Mihir graduated at the top of his class from Utkal University with a degree in Law, then-Chief Minister Biju Patnaik stepped forward with an offer to finance his passage to England. There, Mihir joined Lincoln’s Inn, the prestigious society of barristers. He was 21.
The year before, while still at Utkal University, Mihir had read about the exploits of Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to cross the English Channel. The story had inspired him. Born at a time and place where nationalistic feelings were rife, Sen was keenly aware that his young nation needed heroes to demonstrate what the new India was capable of. And he was determined to set that example.
Sen chose an extreme task for himself, for this was no time for half measures
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