Thread by @sheshapatangi1

#MihirSen

“I had undertaken this perilous swim not to gain fame or trophies but to prove once again to the world that Indians are no longer afraid”, said the man who swam into world record books by conquering the English Channel and Palk Straits”.

And then Jyoti Basu happened

Nurtured By Biju Patnaik, Destroyed By Jyoti Basu,
the gut wrenching story of Mihir Sen.

Sen was the first Indian to swim across the English Channel in 1958, and also set a world record by swimming in oceans in five continents in 1966. He had famously said, “I wanted to prove

to the world that Indians are not afraid.” In 1967, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan.

The story of Mihir Sen, is both an inspirational and cautionary tale of how one hero was eventually let down by the very people he sought to champion.

Born prematurely on 16 November 1930

in a small village in Purulia district, West Bengal, there were fears that this sickly child would not survive very long.
When Mihir graduated at the top of his class from Utkal University with a degree in Law, then-Chief Minister Biju Patnaik stepped forward with an offer to

finance his passage to England. There at 21, Mihir joined Lincoln’s Inn, the prestigious society of barristers.
Why did a man specialising in criminal law, but now a thriving silk exporter venture out to conquer the seas?
“His motive for swimming the seven seas was primarily

political. Being a young nationalist of uncommonly strong views and unorthodox ambition, he wanted to show the world what Indians are made of, to set for young Indians an example of courage and to tell them that one of the best things to do with life is to risk it. In this way,

he hoped to prepare them for what he saw as their destiny,” wrote Supriya Sen, his daughter, for The Telegraph.
The weather forced him to abandon his first attempt midway in 1955. Three years later, on 27 September 1958, he once again entered the sea off the coast of Dover.

This time, he was better prepared. Coating his body in mustard oil, just as he would do on a winter’s day back home, Sen stroked his way into the record books, completing the solo crossing in 14 hours and 45 minutes.
What would have been the pinnacle of achievement for many,

was however, just the beginning for the determined Mihir Sen.
In 1966, he went further, swimming across the oceans in 5 continents in a single year. Sen crossed the Palk Straits in 25 hours 36 minutes, Straits of Gibraltar in 8 hours 1 minute, Dardanelles in 13 hours 55 minutes,

Bosphorus in 4 hours, and the entire length of the Panama Canal in 34 hours 15 minutes.

Once he was done with his swimming career, he established a factory for silk exports in Calcutta and started exporting it around the world. With hard work and business acumen, he became

Bharat's second-largest silk exporter.
Then Jyoti Basu happened.
He wanted Mihir Sen to campaign for his CPI in the 1977 election.
Sen turned down the request and after a lot of threats and arm twisting, he decided to stand as an independent candidate against Basu.

He then unleashed one of the most vicious personal vendettas in the history of vendettas, against Mihir Sen.
First they started spraying graffiti outside his factories and shops.
Repeated strikes started taking place in his factories, bringing production down to zero.

Trucks, filled with stocks, meant for export, were burnt down.

Police filed false cases against him. His house was raided multiple times, assets were frozen and cash was seized.
India's ace swimmer, a Padma Bhushan and a successful businessman, who challenged the mighty

oceans, couldn't withstand the waves of political vendetta by Jyoti Basu.
Even after winning so many accolades in his life,
on 11th June, 1997, Sen died in poverty and was forgotten. His legacy faded into oblivion as the death went virtually unnoticed.

The Ace Barrister-Swimmer-Businessman
ended up as just another sad tale of the forgotten National Heroes.
#PunyaSmaran
#ForgottenHeroes
#VANDEMATARAM