KOLKATA, Aug 26 (UNI): Long distance swimmer and 20-year old orphan Manik Mondol of East Midnapore district is all set to make his maiden attempt to cross the English Channel early next month.
Presenting Manik before media here today, State Bank of India (SBI) Deputy General Manager Debashis Sarkar said the youth, who grew up in a small orphanage at Mahisadhal in East Midnapore district following the death of his parents in an accident, took to swimming with active interest in long distance swimming.
Asked how he prepared himself for channel swimming which would be a new experience to him, Manik acknowledged the contributions of another Channel swimmer Masidur Rahman in guiding him about the tricks and difficulties of swimming in the English Channel.
About his next goal, he said, it would be considered only after the successful crossing of the English Channel.
"As per the schedule I would start swimming from Dover coast (England) at around 0200 hours on Spetember 6 and hope to cross the 42 km distance upto Calle in France on the other side in about 10 hours," Manik, who was invited by the Channel Swimming and Piloting Association, the British body to organise the channel swimmining, said.
Incidentally, SBI is sponsoring a part of his total expenses for the Channel trip amounting to more than Rs 600,000.
Later, narrating his experience, Manik said during the past few years he took part in a number of long distance swimming competitions in the country including the 41 km and 72 km swimming in the Hooghly and seven km swimming in the Arabian Sea.
He said he stood first in almost everywhere clocking record timings.
"From then on I cherished a dream of crossing the world famous but extremely turbulent English Channel one day following the footsteps of some other successful swimmers like the legendary Mihir Sen, Masidur Rahman and Bula Chowdhury," said Manik.