From Jhansi Ki Rani to P.V Sindhu, Indian women have always stood up for their nation’s glory despite many limitations. They are like the sparks of fire and have shown exemplary expertise in their respective fields. Women athletes have come a long way able to withstand every hurdle and have shown that they are no less than men and are the real pillars of strength for the country.
This has been proved by an 11-year-old girl Shraddha Shukla from Kanpur. With the eye on creating a national record this girl has taken up the challenge to swim in the monsoon-fed swollen Ganga from hometown Kanpur to temple town Varanasi on 28th August 29, 2016. She will cover 570 kilometers in 10 days with refreshment breaks which are equivalent to 13 Olympic marathons of 42.195 kilometers on land. She will swim about 80 kilometers in one day. A team of doctors, rescuers, and two shooters will be accompanying her to rescue her from any unforeseen danger.
Even the most daring swimmers are astonished to see her invincible confidence as these days Ganga is at its peak of flow and it is like swimming in the mouth of a devil.
She is popular as JALPARI in her hometown Kanpur. She is swimming since the age of 2.5 years under the guidance of her father coach Lalit Shukla. She has an unbeatable record of swimming 280 kilometers from Kanpur to Allahabad on 25th march 2014 which is also recorded in the Guinness Book of world records.
Through this journey of 570 kilometers, Shraddha wants to make the Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and U.P’s Chief Minister Mr. Akhilesh Yadav aware of her skills so that she could get her name registered in the Tokyo Olympics to be held in the year 2020. She aspires to achieve a gold medal for India in the next Olympic games to take place in Tokyo,2020.
With the discontented performance of India at the Rio Olympics,2016, India can anticipate achieving laurels of success in upcoming Tokyo Olympics with people like Shraddha Shukla who have already begin the war to achieve great heights.