Imagine being struck by nine bullets and then run over by an army vehicle. Most lives would have ended right there. For Murlikant Petkar, that battlefield moment in 1971 was not his ending, but rather a turning point in a life that would rewrite India’s sporting history. A soldier first, an athlete second, the story of Murlikant is indeed an inspiration.
A soldier who refused to fall
The year was 1971. India and Pakistan were at war. Among the thousands of men fighting for the country, one brave soldier was Murlikant Petkar. A dedicated jawan, he was serving his country with all his grit and strength.
During a fierce attack, Murlikant was shot. Nine bullets ripped through his body. As if that wasn’t enough, an army vehicle accidentally ran over him in the chaos. One of those bullets lodged in his spine, and it left him with a permanent injury. From that day onward, he was a paraplegic.
Knowing you will never be able to walk again can suddenly break the strongest spirits. But for the brave soldier, it was only the beginning of another chapter.
From the boxing ring to the swimming pool
Before the war and his injury, Petkar was already a gifted athlete. He was a national-level boxer. When the war confined him to a wheelchair, he looked for a new way forward. He knew he couldn’t go back into the ring, but that didn’t mean he had to stop competing. He focused on swimming, and slowly, this sport became his new mission.
The historic moment at Heidelberg
Just one year after the injury, he decided to represent India in the 1972 Paralympic Games in Heidelberg, Germany. Murlidhar dived into the water with the same hunger that once made him a boxer and a soldier. This grit etched his name forever in history. He not only won the gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle swimming but also set a world record with a time of 37.33 seconds.
For a nation that was still waking up to the possibilities of differently-abled athletes, this achievement was groundbreaking.
A true all-rounder
Swimming wasn’t his only forte. Murlidhar also explored many other sports with equal passion. He went on to compete in disciplines like javelin, shot put, discus, archery, and even table tennis. And in each of these, he managed to win medals and showed the world that you can always strive for the extraordinary; all it needs is the right balance of passion and determination.
The legacy
For many years, Petkar’s story remained known only in small circles of sports and military history. But as time passed, the larger public began to learn about his journey.
In 2018, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, one of the nation’s highest civilian awards. His journey has now reached millions through the film ‘Chandu Champion’, which has brought his story on the big screen.
A lesson in courage
What makes Murlidhar’s story inspirational is not because of the medals he won, but because of the path he took. He was a soldier who fought bravely in war, a boxer who once ruled the ring, a man who survived nine bullets and paralysis, and yet found the strength to start over as a Paralympic swimmer.
His journey teaches all of us to always look beyond the obstacles in front of us. It shows that even when life changes the rules, we can choose to play the game differently and still win.
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