Post independence, India was still combating for stability in the year 1956 while the brave hero of the nation, Shamsher Khan was on his way to make his homeland proud in Melbourne, Australia. The unsung hero of Indian Olympics is being reported as the was the first first swimmer who represented India at the Olympics. This brave heart is not only forgotten Shamsher Khan’s feat but bestowed the honor of being the first Indian swimmer to have qualified for an Olympic event on Sandeep Sejwal.

Grievous Life of First Indian Olympic Swimmer Shamsher Khan

When it was hard to dream for countrymen to swim beyond their local pools, the unsung hero of the nation, Shamsher Khan represented India half-a-century ago at the Melbourne Olympic Games of 1956. A national record in 200-meter butterfly was made by Shamsher Khan in the year 1954. A year later he broke all records at the national meet in Bangalore in 1955. The success of these events made him eligible and to earn the big ticket of his life i.e., to get the qualifying rounds of the Melbourne Summer Olympics of 1956.

He finished at 5th position in the qualifiers and emerged as the first ever Indian swimmer to participate in the qualifying rounds of the Olympics. Reports claim that Shamsher Khan participated in both breaststroke and butterfly in the qualifier rounds. Yet after completion of 50 years this rare feat no Indian swimmer has repeated  or overwritten this record.

This reflects and bears witness that Shamsher Khan ranks high as Indian swimmer to do well in Olympic qualifiers. Shamsher Khan served the nation battling in the in the Indo-China war in 1962 and the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 after being inducted into the Indian Army apart from sports.

Ignored Stalwart of India by Government and Other Responsible Bodies

Our government and well-acclaimed bodies of authorities which are well known for failing to respect and honor the deserving athletes who surpass every obstacle and bring the name of our nation worldwide. The very similar thing happened in the case of Shamsher Khan despite his glorious achievements and true service to the nation in sports and army.

Shamsher Khan, aged 84 years is an of Kaithepalli near Repalle in Guntur district struggling to make both ends meet, said “Unfortunately’ no sports body has granted me either a pension or a reward. I ran from pillar to post for financial assistance after my house was washed away in the 1990 cyclone. But very little help came my way. I have stopped meeting officials as they do not know how to respect an Olympian.”

 He further added “The Indian government sponsored the airfare to Melbourne, but it was later deducted from my salary. All the same, I am thankful to the government for allowing me to be a part of such a glorious event.” Although he expressed regretted the fact that his name was missing on the Swimming Federation of India (SFI)  list of ‘Hall of Famers’.

Prodigious Sportsman Leading Life in Deprivation

Shah Ali, the younger son of Shamsher Khan who works as mason said that his father had suffered a stroke two years back. “But he refuses to take drugs keeping in view our poor financial condition. He tells people that he is surviving because he is a champion.” This stalwart of India is currently leading his rest of life in deprivation in his hometown of Guntur, Andhra Pradesh and is being assisted with the miserable pension.

Army bulletin, Sainik Samachar claimed proudly claimed Shamsher as its jewel in one of it issue remembering the services of him who retired from the army in 1973 as a subedar. Shamsher Khan’s elder son, inspired with is father joined the Indian army and is currently working as a jawan. Perhaps sports federation of India is yet to realize the services and legendary achievements of Shamsher Khan dated back in 1956. Confidential sources report that the pension of Mr. Khan was Rs 111 per month till 2006, and after the revision of salaries, he now gets Rs 22,000 per month from Indian Army. He does not need any financial help now.

We urge the government of India and other responsible authorities to support the brave hearts of nation like Shamsher Khan who spent their lifetime in serving the nation as it would inspire the younger generations to do so cheering the achievements of the ancestors. Hang on with us for more trending alerts happening across the globe by bookmarking us in your web browser to land on our web page again.