Upset, the 12-year-old boy is victorious, and his reward – is death threats from villagers who treat this as an assault on the village henchman. This forces the boy to hop on to the goods train with money earned from the fight – a princely sum of Rs 12. Without his parent's knowledge, this boy is now in Pune and has joined the Indian Army.
He takes up boxing and is seen as a rising sports star in the Army. In 1964, he wins a medal at the International Services Sports meet in Tokyo. He returns to his base. His commandant arranges for him a visit to Jammu and Kashmir as a reward for his brilliant performance.
Then the 1965 war happens. While having tea outside, he hears the siren for an aerial attack.
He tries to rush back but is ambushed by enemy fire. He is hit by seven bullets – skull, spine, cheeks and thighs and in all this, a jeep runs over him. Badly injured, he loses his memory too. Finally, fighting for his life in an army hospital, he falls off his bed and, in a very filmy way, gets his memory back.
His family finally discovers him. But by then, the young man was bedridden. The family considers him a burden and refuses to take him back. He plans to commit suicide.
While waiting to kill himself, he plays table tennis with a hospital attendant and wins money in a game of stakes. The plans to commit suicide are thrown away. The physiotherapist asks him to take up swimming as part of the rehabilitation. He soon made waves in competitions & was selected to represent India internationally.
The great cricketer Vijay Merchant even hears his story and decides to sponsor his training.
This is how Murlikant Petkar went on to win India's first Paralympic gold in 50m swimming at the 1972 Heidelberg Paralympics. He not only won the gold but also broke the world record. In addition, he won the Padma Shri award in 2018.
Some inspirational true stories need to be told.
Have an inspiring weekend
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