#Durgashakti 2022_Fifth_Page... Vinit Vartak ©
As someone has said,
The floors are met by those whose dreams I have dreamed of,
Eunhi pankh se kuch nahin hota, Hauslon se udaan hoti hain.
Everyone has dreams in life but very few have the courage to make them come true. This is the story of one such mother and daughter duo, who gave wings to their dreams with hard work and determination and made things happen that no one else in the world has ever been able to achieve. While doing this, her own mother has created a role model for her daughter. Along with that, she has steadfastly stood by her daughter in every success and failure as a mother, coach and team member. Her daughter learned the virtues, hard work and determination from her mother and has hoisted the tricolor of India in the corners of the world. They are Leena Sharma and Bhakti Sharma who are the real form of Durga Shakti.
The story starts from Udaipur which is known as 'Venice of the East'. Leena Sharma wanted her daughter to grow up and do something grand. It is no different that every mother wants her child to grow up and make a name for himself. But Leena Sharma started working hard for her daughter's future from a very young age. Leena Sharma was very fond of swimming. But due to the situation, it was not possible for them to keep coaches etc. But in the case of his daughter, he took that bow himself. He introduced Bhakti to water at the age of 2.5 years. It started a swimming journey.
A turning point in Bhakti's life came when she was 14 years old. Her mother i.e. Leena Sharma advised her to swim in open water from swimming pool. At the age of 13, Bhakti Sharma swam the distance of 16 kilometers from Uran to Gateway of India in 4 hours and completed the distance of 36 kilometers from Dharamatal to Gateway of India in 9 hours and 30 minutes in 2004. Open water swimming is very different from swimming in a swimming pool. Here your stamina is not only important but you have to adapt to the nature. There are many challenges to overcome in sea water like waves, changing currents, wind, fish and its biodiversity along with salt water habituation. For this you have to have a hard working mentality. Facing all these challenges at the age of 13, Bhakti showed that she is ready for greater achievements.
Swimming in English Bay is every swimmer's dream. It was also devotional. In 2006, at the age of 16, she swam across English Bay in 13 hours and 55 minutes. While playing the role of a coach in her daughter's prowess, Leena Sharma's long-hidden desire was also taking shape. A mother and daughter's swimming journey began when they expressed their wish to their daughter. It was not easy to swim for several hours in 4 degree Celsius water. But as they say, 'Hauslon se udaan hoti hain', mother and daughter together decided to make this dream come true which no one else in the world has ever been able to do. On 13 July 2008, Leena Sharma and Bhakti Sharma took the plunge to swim across the English Bay. But the speed of the winds and When the speed of the waves increased, they started to give up the attempt midway. Even after failure, both of them did not waver. Once again with all preparations, they started to swim the English Bay. On July 23, 2008, just 10 days after failing on their first attempt, mother and daughter set a world record for swimming the English Bay simultaneously.
The journey of devotion does not stop here, it begins here. She has become the first girl in Asia to swim in all four oceans, Indian Ocean in 2004, Pacific Ocean in 2007, Arctic Ocean in 2010 and Antarctic Ocean in 2015, and the youngest swimmer in the world to do so. In 2015, she set a new world record by covering a distance of 2.3 kilometers in 41 minutes in a water temperature of 1 degree Celsius. While doing this, she broke the world records of famous swimmers like Lynne Cox (USA) and Lewis Pugh (British). In recognition of her world record feat, she was honored with the 2015 Tenzing Norge National Courage Award by the Government of India. Together, mother and daughter made their dreams come true, but in doing so took the glory of India's tricolor to the world.
Leena and Bhakti Sharma's work does not stop there but they have started working to convince the society of the importance of girl child in states like Rajasthan through swimming. Telling the secret of his success, Bhakti says,
“I always believe that you have to be a little crazy to do great things in life and being crazy means never giving up.”
A mother and a daughter can give wings to their dreams at the same time if they decide. Leena Sharma has shown how a mother can be a mentor and empower her daughters. The unique form of Durga Shakti in the form of mother and daughter will teach the society a lot. Leena and Bhakti Sharma have shown the world a new look of the Indian woman by changing the wrong mentality about the Indian woman on the screen. My salute to his feat. All the best on their next journey!!!
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