From India's largest Newsroom. I'm Martin George. And this is the times of India podcast. Swimming in a sea in the pitch dark, where you can't even see a light, see any light or any land and swimming in there for 30, 40 km has this very difficult, you need those patients, it's all in the mind. That's 23, year-old provide Cooley describing what it's like to swim in the sea at night. The Moon, by Resident became just the 22nd person in the world. Complete, the ocean 7 challenge
to put it in perspective. Over 6,000 people have climbed the Everest so far. Robots also the youngest in the world to have performed this feed. The only at the Indian to have completed. The ocean 7 challenge was Pune based swimmer. Rohan, Marie Wen ruo, Han Marie completed the challenge in 2018 in his 30s, he was the first Asian to have ever completed the Challenge from that explains the significance of being the 22nd
person to finish this challenge. If you have heard that seven submit of for Mountaineers. So it's almost the same. There are seven swimming channels which are like channels are like swimming from point A to point B, which is about somewhere safe, from 25 km 2, x 2, max 40, 50 kilometers. So we have to swim that channel. It is recognized by World Open Water Swimming Association Versa and no Marathon swimming Federation msf. So So they have pinpointed a seven channels all over the world.
Like, in Japan, Hawaii UK, I'll and Cook Strait in, which is in New Zealand, Spain. Like that total seven of them. The seven challenges are the English Channel, the Catalina channel of California. The Molokai channel in Hawaii, the tsugaru Strait in Japan. The north channel in Ireland, the Strait of Gibraltar in Spain and the Cook Strait in New Zealand. In today's episode, we're in conversation with Probot about his achievement and the challenge is he's had to face in and outside.
The water provide says he's from the Coulee Community, a traditional community of fishermen in Maharashtra, and says, he was always comfortable with being in water. Even as a child from Mark, says he was singled out for competitive Swimming by his coach after you went for a 15 day camp, just to learn how to swim. As far as I remember, my put said that on the fourth or fifth fifth day, of course, of 15 days. Of course, I learn swimming very quite well, better than others.
So he was very impressed with my progress. I had a choice to make because I was also good in playing hockey. Then I was in the school team them. So, I had to choose one because I couldn't do both swimming, hockey, then, plus studies He's so I choose swimming promote who's competing at state level swimming tournaments at the age of 11. However, his coach realized, he was clearly built for something different that's when Probot made the switch to Open Water Swimming.
His first open sea. Swim was to be from alibag to Mumbai. In those areas, my ancestor used to do fishing there back then, whenever we heard that so-and-so sperm from the them to get to a channel and then we were like, why can't we try it? We are the fishermen of these water so we know the what the and we can do this film, but that 36 km long swim wasn't working out. The 2008 Terror attacks and happened in Mumbai, and I thought it is just one giving him clearance.
For the swim. So instead he went for a reason Kolkata where he had to swim in the river, it was 14 km long, which provides admits. He was surprised to finish then at the age of 13 he completed another 80 km long race in West Bengal. Whenever you're swimming, it's 20% physical stunts, and 80% of mental strength, you if you are mentally strong, inference from anything and anybody, that's what my parents and my coach told me. So, and so on now on or do something, there is started.
Robots is one advantage of swimming in the sea is that you float more easily because of the saltwater. But nearly everything else is against you, currents. Take you off course, which means you're swimming for longer. Winds can make the see much of our firm provides explains how just the weather affected, one of his films. That was part of the ocean 7 challenge.
For Hawaii wins Molokai Channel, which is amongst ocean, some internet and I and it's the longest of the oceans have any of those interventions Lynch. It's about output, 83 kilometers, but if you're 40, so, I think that took that even took me around 17 hours and 22 minutes and I started swimming in the evening. I still remember that. I started my stream at 6:00 in the evening, I swam the whole night and next day at Do something like that.
I finished the stone. So, this is this Nights from is I would say, very much tough actually, because in the daylight, at least you can see where you're going. There is a land in front of you and you're just chasing it down. But in the night you can see anything. I don't know what but that day the weather got over. Custard the winds were too strong. I mean, it felt like a thunderstorm came in. The swimmer even like a normal wind about of saying, fifty,
fifteen, 15 miles per hour. The event is also a thunderstorm because of the wind, the waves come up so choppy, the waves are so choppy. It's very hard to this part too soon. We had a kayaker than and because of the wind that I couldn't come in, come in, come to my pace. And he has that shark Shield, I would to repel sharks. It's an electronic device which emit craze in the water, but that too has a region that an
area of 5 meters. If I am out of those five meters, then I'm totally prone to shark attacks and it was the nighttime mostly shark attacks of the night swimming in the sea. Basically is very unpredictable. I have heard some stories. I was very lucky that I've never had such Many Summers have some the almost the whole Channel, even in the English saddle, or anything, or any channel there,
one was from. And for the last five kilometers, the wind and the current world changed, and it got very bad, they had to come up like swimming for 14 hours. 15 has all 12 weeks. The trim is not ratified because he couldn't complete the sun, because of the weather, whenever we strum any channel, 50% of the scrum is a nap. and fifty percent is in the weather's, and that way we are going to someone not But this is another thing that can completely derail a
swimmer in the sea marine life. And even among marine life, robot says there's one particular creature, he did it far more than others. The worst of all the marine life is the jellyfish, the sting of a jellyfish.
There is a lot of types of jellyfish, like, in English Channel. I got, I got those small purple one jellyfish when I came out of the water after completing the friend I was bleeding from almost every part of my body externally, like, because the jellyfish stings made of wood over my body but seems if you come to Irish Channel, which is even It says that it is said that, it's the hardest of oceans have been challenged because of the coldness and the jellyfish. Those jellyfish. Are you?
Sometimes I do, those are bigger than the human body and those jellyfish. Stings make you feel sleepy. Drowsy, when I was swimming the Irish Channel, there was another Hungarian swimmer. He was on another boat, and he was also attempting the same channel on the same day. So, After eight hours, he got so much of things that he was directly shifted to ICU. From method.
Every time he was planning to do one of the ocean seven challenges, he'd have to prepare with knowledge of all the potential problems he could face before swimming. The English Channel, he says he got a unique tip on how to deal with potential jellyfish stings. I asked everything about the jellyfish before the film, from the other swimmers or the people who is living over there in salamander Gravette. She also helped me like how to come up with the solution for
such problem. So she used to make me, drink four liters of water file. It is of water every single day before the swim for two weeks before because the poison should come out of my Body because of that, every 10 minutes I used to go to the washroom but because of that I would say that somewhere I was very much safe and I could complete the event. Provides is the training for Open Water.
Swimming is as intense as with any other sport, but unlike other sports, it doesn't come with sponsors or glamour. Promote is the recipient of the country's highest Adventure award the Tenzing, Norgay National Adventure, Ward. But even that didn't help when it came to funding is events. He explains the toll, something like the ocean seven challenge has taken on him. Training for anything. I would say not only Open Water Swimming training for anything at all. Always stay winds.
Take something extra if you want to be the best. So while I was training for that, I used to train for hours and hours, I have some time. I used to get very much sick because I used to train in rain and sometimes in cold water also, but those are just some It's a challenges which are coming in my in my path. I just have to overcome those and just keep on going forward. Taking toll on my body is
something which I can recover. But I would say they are not much open orders from us in India and it's not a big huge sport, like Cricket or any football or company in India. So Financial challenge was a huge challenge for us and my father used to look after that part and the struggle. He had, he sold our house for supporting me. He took loans from Banks, friends, and office to support my person. My things I would say my dream
because of his support. I could complete the channel at the same point in my mother mother was there. She used to take me to the training center at the pool. She used to sit there with me Counting My laps recording, my timings on all and feeding me every hour when I complete the oceans and Molokai Channel, it was very much a horrifying like I have as found for 17 hours and 22 minutes.
And then I actually didn't knew that as from so long and when I knew that but then first thing, I told my mom like that key. This will see what event we have to do next. I will I'm not sure I will. Will to do. But the next day early morning, I was in the water training for my another swim eyewear. So It's all mental honestly. Yeah you get physically tired like in 2021 album company attempted the Cook Strait in New Zealand.
I got serious shoulder injury, left, shoulder injury, that's why I couldn't complete the Cook Strait then or else I would have completed the ocean science and engine back in 2020 itself. But because of that injury I couldn't complete the channel. It's like it always takes something from you. It always takes something from your body. So we'll each of us wins was a massive challenge. Physically provide says, knowing what it took to get to each of
the ocean. Seven challenges also, motivated him to give it his, all he explains how something like the shoulder injury, New Zealand, affected him and his family. My father used to work in be as he in the government Institute. He was a scientific assistant each and every swimmer. When costed me around 8 to 10 lakhs, It includes everything. Canopy narayana. The flight tickets. The accommodation though. Pilots Association coffees and all it to 10. Lakhs was a huge amount for us.
And honestly, when such event goes feel like the Cook Strait in 2020, that was a huge. I would say use laws, then, because emotionally and mentally, it was but
financially. also, it was for us, but when we are, when we complete this form, when we and recently, I would say in Cook Strait 2023 when I completed this from somewhere, I just forget all the physical mental tiredness, which I have been through when I and Flora, Indian tricolor over there for a photo and that moment that moment of proud and somewhere like, all my, all my struggle, all my father's, Those sacrifices, I would say, my parents sacrifices.
My sacrifices, my discipline, hard work. All got paid off in the event. A thousand of things are going on in my mind, like nay or I guess in your IQ, Nur, like sometimes goes through - that Houdini who get such a 20s as funny as a child. But then I have then I got to thinking that may have done so much of hard work. My parents have done so much of sacrifices for me. I just can't come out of the water because of the wind is
coming in on my face. I just can't come out of the water because of waves are too big. It should be a bigger reason or else I'm not coming out. So he's of thinking The magma at ahead, then it was then gets me working a lot harder because that's what is needed. A small push is all. I need all I need at that time,
we had struggles. But as a family, I would say when we enjoyed a lot, to be honest, I went to UK like twice or Thrice, but till now, I haven't seen the famous UK can preach or that golden or big be whatever it's called, I've never Been there because of lack of funds and all we didn't have much extra funds with us. So but we are not regretting that we couldn't see that or experience that experiment we have experienced something to reach other people can't.
So it's about like we enjoyed what we thought and we kept on going with what we have. Robot admits he can't into play down the physical toll, swimming, for 12 hours, or more can take on him mentally and physically every event in the ocean. 7 was draining and challenging in different ways he says. And finally, when he did complete, the ocean seven challenge this year, he explains what that felt like. Seeing, I'm not seeing that. I am I'm like perfectly fine every minute of this film.
Sometimes I am not even myself. I don't know what I'm doing. Like, in Catalina channel in u.s., it was a general nature and my father and my parents were like shoe shock, because my eyes were closed, and I was just swimming randomly. My hands were moving. My legs were moving, but my eyes will crochet. I will seriously slept in the water. No, the kayaker beside me or had a walkie-talkie, which was connected into the bigger boat
where my parents were. So my parents had that on the walkie-talkie at night around 1:30 to 2:00, he checked twice and he said that he's sleeping in the water with his arms and legs going on. So that's this is how is it like
we just keep on going? So when such thing happens, like the failure which is emotionally and mentally, it's very heartbreaking, but financially is it is even more heartbreaking, because when your parents have supported you so much sacrifice so much and then you wouldn't come to this woman touch and it's really much harder to keep it when you complete the event. There is no such feelings.
I mean, I literally cried after my ocean seventh, like, last of the oceans on like, and Cook Strait, And I literally cried on the beach because of the conditions I went through and us from I got 30 mph top speed of the wind on my face coming right in front of my face, it was almost over like I could see the finishing point in front of me but the wind won't let me finish. It was around say one and a half kilometers or 2 kilometers, which is not much but it was not
ready to let me swim. So, Somehow somehow struggling, struggling, struggling, and then somehow, when I finished, I literally cried but even my parents cried on that day and they are very happy actually that I computed ocean seven Championship finally. So when when I see such happiness such like such feeling unconscious and brushing, then everything just all the pain, all the sadness, all the
soreness just goes off. It's a very isolated spot that you're swimming on your own, your training on your own for long, long periods of time, you're on your own. What's life like for you outside of swimming? As you said, it's isolated Sports sport. I mean, I used to swim alone for 10 hours, 11 hours, my parents were there on, on the winds, they used to sit outside the pool and count my rounds and all, but I used to swim alone. So it's very isolated. And I, for some people, it's
very boring. But I would say for me, it's like I am spending those tent winners swimming. But in this 2010 to 12 hours, I'm thinking about myself, that how will I go ahead? What should I do? What can I do nowadays? People don't get such time, I would say to think on themselves. So I am very I was really lucky. Then I haven't got much friends. I mean, I have some good friends with me but honestly, I I didn't get that much of time to spend time with some friends. Go out. Chill.
Enjoy room about India. Go for a trips and all I never called sister because I was busy in events and all working out and all I got some of you friends, which helps me understands me, whatever, and they're generally happy when I'm competing in any of the same events. This year has been an eventful year for Promenade. He completed the ocean seven challenge after swimming. The first of the streets in 2015. He also completed his MBA. So what's next?
After the ocean seven challenge, I did had the question. What's next? Because I just can't leave swimming. So after all, all these Awards which I got the give me spoken world record, it's not likely because the movie Ocean's Eleven that the morgue I am finally done. I have done a lot and nothing like that. There is 70% of water in on our planet. I guess more than 70 and I'm sorry, very bad with figures, but I just have completed ocean seven challenge. There's a lot of water waiting
for you. My next challenge, I would say that I'm going for the ice forming World Championships, which would be in 2025. The event is planning to go for involves competitive swimming in water, that's nearly freezing. And if someone's hearing him and is inspired to take up, Open Water swimming on long-distance swimming. Probably does have a message for them. I will just say, just keep on swimming. You'll find a new Whole New World in the water when you are
swimming just keep on swimming. I don't know if you've seen the movie Finding Dory but that and equivalent of the links retort of that, yes, this is what I do. Today's episode was produced by Jay Raj Singh soon emirati and on Vijay Singh for a daily Spotlight on people ideas and stories that matter, subscribe to us. We are available on T. Y+ Spotify, Apple, Google podcast and all other platforms of your choice. For any new steps email us at DIY podcast at times, internet dot in.