As dawn broke on Tuesday, the tiny hands of five-year-old Lohita Sarakshi cut through the water rhythmically as her head bobbed up and down in the waves of the mighty Bay of Bengal along the Marina beach.
Surrounded by catamarans, her coach K.S. Elangovan on a boat and with trained swimmers to come to her aid, the class II student of Church Park School completed her 5-km swim in the sea in about two hours.
Unaware of the feat she had accomplished, Lohita, who is just two ft tall, was seen cheerfully playing in the sand. Asked if she was frightened of the sea, she responded quickly with an emphatic “no”. “I have been swimming for nearly three years and occasionally I swim in the sea,” Lohita said.
Her father M. Mahimaidas, a grade II constable at the Seven Wells Police station, mother Divya and elder sister Keerthahasini, brimmed with joy when she walked back to the shore.
Mr. Mahimaidas is an inspiration for the girl.
“I am a swimmer myself. The sport gives confidence, improves health and gets rid of fear. Hence, I encourage my children to take up swimming. It has greatly improved her concentration,” he said.
No fear
Lohita’s coach said that the girl knows no fear. “We expected the sea to be conducive for the swim. There were no waves and the girl had to put in all her effort. We prevented jelly fish from coming close to her. In fact, one of the swimmers who was shielding her was injured by the fish,” he said.
Lohita aspires to break records of famous swimmers. She has another dream too. “I want to become an IPS officer,” she said.
C. Sylendra Babu, DGP, Railways, was at the beach to welcome her. “I swam from Sri Lanka to Rameswaram in March 2018. But a little girl swimming in the sea is a great feat. She is inspirational as she swam 5 km in two hours,” the DGP said.
