Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) [India], April 28 : A 36-year-old international para swimmer and a resident of Gwalior has started a 'Divyang Empowerment Khelo Yatra' from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to bring awareness among specially-abled people towards sports.
The international para swimmer, Satendra Singh Lohia, began his Yatra with a bike from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on April 14 on the occasion of birth anniversary of Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar. After covering a distance of around 3000 kilometres, he reached Gwalior along with his two compons on Friday.
During this, he received a warm welcome on arrival in his home district. His Yatra is scheduled to be completed on May 1 in Jammu and Kashmir.
Lohia said, "No specially-abled person should ever consider themselves weak. I also made sports a part of my life after a lot of struggle. Today, I feel stronger. And with the same motive, I am on a Yatra to bring empowerment among differently-abled players."
"My aim is that, the way I have achieved the goal despite all the difficulties in life, in the same way, I want the upcoming specially-abled people to understand this point though this yatra," he said.
He added that when he started the yatra, he faced problems, obstacles in the way but he stood and was continuously moving towards success. He would reach Jammu and Kashmir on May 1 or May 2.
Notably, Lohia has won 28 national and four international medals so far. Lohia has crossed the 'English Channel' in 12 hours and 24 minutes in 2018 for which his name is listed in Asian Limca Book of Records. After that on August 18, 2019 he crossed Catalina Channel in 11 hours and 34 minutes and became the first Asian specially-abled swimmer to do so.
Besides, the Madhya Pradesh government awarded him the highest state sporting honour, 'Vikram award' in 2014. He has also received the National Award from former Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu in 2019.
After that Lohia received the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award from former President of India Ram Nath Kovind on the occasion of National Sports Day in 2020.
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