As part of efforts to create awareness about swimming, 42-year-old Lanke Umamaheswara Rao swam across river Krishna with his hands and legs tied.
He started swimming around 6.30 a.m. and covered a 7-km stretch in river Krishna from VIP ghat before climbing ashore on other side of the river in Guntur district.
Earlier, as his associates tied hands and feet with rope, there appeared to be doubts in the minds of onlookers if he was capable of the feat. But, he did it with ease, and the people on the banks cheered the swimmer as soon as he completed the task. His associates followed as guards on boats.
Mr. Rao, who is working as Head Constable with the Special Protection Force (SPF), attempted similar feat a year ago.
He finished swimming with hands tied then. “I have been practising not less than two hours a day with hands and legs tied,” he said, adding: “Now, my target is to swim in sea with hands and legs tied, and enter Guinness Book of World Records.”
The cop drew inspiration from a boy who did similar feat in Kerala sometime ago. There are no swimmers from this region who succeeded in these feats, he said.
“Above all, I wanted to tell the people that swimming is very important in life. Parents should realize that swimming is equally important and should be included in the curriculum. People feel like swimming whenever they see a water body. They jump into rivers with enthusiasm though they don’t know swimming. One doesn’t require more than a week to learn swimming,” he added.
Mr. Rao did his graduation from ABR College at Repalle in Guntur district.
He joined the Police Department as Constable in 1994, and worked in various districts.
