2022-08-12 Fri

Arati Saha Gupta was an Indian Bengali long-distance swimmer and the first Indian Asian woman swimmer who made a world record to cross English Chanel on September 29, 1959.

Arati Saha Gupta was born in a middle-class family on September 24, 1940. She lost her mother when she was two and a half years old. She was raised by her grandmother n North Kolkata. At the age of 4, she develops her interest in swimming. Noticing their daughter's interest in swimming, her father enrolled her in Hatkhola Swimming Club. In 1946, at age five, she won the gold medal in 110 yards freestyle at the Shailendra Memorial Swimming Competition, beginning her swimming career.

Arati Saha Gupta won 22 state-level competitions in West Bengal between 1945 and 1951. She represented India at the 1952 Summer Olympics along with compatriot Dolly Nazir. She was one of the four women participants and the youngest member of the Indian contingent; at the age of 12.

The Government of India issued her commemorative stamp in 1999 to commemorate her. Image Courtesy: colnect.com