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Swimming is a ‘Head to Toe exercise’ and Motion Meditation – Babul Gurung

Babul Gurung holds ‘Assam Book of Records’ of being the youngest athlete to have swum across mighty Brahmaputra at age of 11 in 1991. On March 30, 2022 along with his 9 year old student Kasturi Gogoi, they swam through the Indian ocean from Colombo in Srilanka to Chennai in India in 19 hours. On ‘International Day of Yoga’ Gurung with his 12 year old student Kuldeep Saika performed ‘Water Yoga’ for 30 hours that is now claimed being sent to ‘Guiness Book of World Records’ 

~ Nanda K Dewan

International Yoga Day 2022 was celebrated in a very unique way by Assam Swimming team coach Babul Gurung and his student Kuldeep Saikia. Both did yoga without stopping for 30 hours in water. Babul Gurung, 42, is the swimming coach at Sarusajai Sports Complex in Guwahati and Kuldeep Saikia, 12, is a swimmer. They started their yog asanas at 10 am on 20th June and continued till 4 pm on 21st June. The coach and student performed this record breaking yoga session at Dr. Zakir Hussain Aquatic Complex, Sarusajai Sports Complex, Guwahati. Gurung and Saikia achieved this feat in front of a team of observers from the ‘Assam Book of Records’ and in presence of  ‘Asia Book of Records’, ‘Limca Book of Records’ and ‘Universal Book of Records’ representatives and all the above record books have booked the record. Under his training at Sarusajai Sports Complex many swimmers won several national medals and registered records at the All India National Records since 2011 to 2021. In the year 2017 Jahnabi Kashyap created 3 All India National Records and received the Best Swimmer Award in National Aquatic Championship India, in 2019 Sri-Manash Pratim Baishya got Best Swimmer in Junior Category National Swimming Championship.  Ms. Kasturi Gogoi won Silver Medal in National Sea Swimming Competition, 2022, held at Porbandar, Gujarat. Babul Gurung and his  9 years old student Kasturi Gogoi made a world record by swimming 110 kilometres from Colombo to Chennai in just 19 hours. On 29 March they started to swim from Munar Island of Colombo in Sri Lanka during the evening hours and 30 March, the student-teacher duo from Assam reached the Indian shores near Archul Mulai in Tamil Nadu's capital city Chennai by swimming across the Indian Ocean.

The first ‘National Open Water Sea Swimming’ gold medalist from Assam and 5 times National Gold Medalist in Swimming Competition (1989, 91 ,92 ,93 ,1995) spoke exclusively to senior community journalist Nanda K Dewan in Guwahati, Assam. Here are the excerpts

NKD - Congratulations Mr. Babul Gurung on your successful 30 hours yoga on the occasion of ‘International Day of Yoga’. Tell us, how the idea of yoga in water came to your mind.

BG - Thank you. Yoga is a powerful meditation. Any sportsperson practices yoga as a part of their meditation to focus on the game and derive energy.  An aquatic sportsperson too practices Yoga and being swimmer obviously in swimming pools too, we practice Yoga. That’s how idea of ‘Water Yoga’ came in my mind without any backend research. Since 8 years now Yoga is a global phenomenon and it is India’s contribution to global health and fitness not just athletes and sportsperson.  Glad to inform you that our record have been sent to ‘Guiness Book of World Record’ after ‘Asia Book of Records’, ‘Limca Book of Records’ and ‘Universal Book of Records’ confirmed and booked the records respectively. 

NKD – What made you choose 30 hours timeline and please tell me about your preparation preparation?

BG - I have been practicing Water Yoga for hours while in the swimming pool since a long time now.  I am the youngest swimmer in Assam Book & Bengal Book of Record having swum across the Brahmaputra in 1991 so I wanted to hold longest Water Yoga with my 12 years old student Kuldeep Saikia who is a potential athlete. Even when I swam from Colombo in Sri Lanka to Chennai in India through the Indian Ocean, I did it with my 9 years old student Kasturi Gogoi. I checked the records of normal yoga it was nearly 60 hours by an Indian which made me feel proud and I thought of attempting half of it on water and longest water yoga was less than 2 hours only. 

We planned it on ‘International Day of Yoga’ being inspired by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to make our feat global so we started preparation from October 2021.  Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma had extended administrative support and directed Directorate of Youth Affairs and Sports for supporting our national and international feats as and when we attempt. Former Chief Minister and Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal too supported us and they inspired us to achieve higher goal and place our names of our nation in the world map.  

From 1st Jan 2022 we practiced daily for hours and department made venue available for us as per convenience. In the begin it began few minutes than half an hour, after dedicated practice we could achieve range of 4-6 hours in two weeks which became 15 hours in a month time. In the 3rd month we achieved 30 hours for the first time which we repeated it three times till May end. In June we repeated 30 hours just once and than started to reverse decreasing 2 hours every day. After each 30 hours feat we underwent full medical checkup ascertain our health condition, not even a single occasion it was worrying for us since we practiced scientifically. We maintained a balanced diet and practiced in optimum to extreme water temperature. It was six months of motivation, dedication, will power and scientific skilled stamina to keep floating on the water without swimming or movement for more than a day and night. 

NKD – What were the challenges?

BG- The best swimmers are the ones that almost don’t try the most. It’s just about relaxing and enjoying it. We thoroughly enjoyed it. The water is our friend. We don’t have to fight with water, just share the same spirit as the water, and it will help us. Water temperature was a factor since the weather was rainy and wet but we had practiced in winter in January so that was not a big challenge. Luckily we got bright sun on 20th and 21st June so the water temperature was optimum. 

I consider swimming a Yoga form and for me ‘Swimming is a ‘Head to Toe exercise’ and Motion Meditation’.  I concentrate on preparing to swim my race and achieve feat and let the others think about me, not me about them

NKD- Sports is a learning curve, what does swimming teach us?

BG- The most important lesson I’ve learned from swimming sports is how to be not only a gracious winner but a good loser as well. Not everyone wins all the time, as a matter of fact; no one wins all the time. Winning is the easy part, losing is really tough. But, you learn more from one loss than you do from a million wins. You learn a lot about sportsmanship. “I’ve swum for my state, I’ve swum for my coaches and my association and my teams. I believe in myself, not only in swimming but in life itself. I always have to have fun while swimming. Most of the time I have an open mind to embrace opportunities and welcome ideas. 

As I said it is a ‘Head to Toe’ exercise, a swimmer remains healthy and fit and for professional sportsperson opportunities for podium finish and increase medal tally.   

NKD – Tell us more about your achievements during your journey to becoming Head Coach of Assam Swimming team?

BG- I am born and brought up in Assam and swam across Brahmaputra at the age of 11 years in 1991. Since we grew up on the bank of river Brahmaputra we are natural swimmers. Being a ‘son of the soil’ a Gorkha naturally my family wanted me to be an Indian Army or CAPF so fitness was always top priority. Didn’t took up swimming by choice, it came naturally to me. My coaches and Sports Authority of India (SAI) are instrumental in my career. Assam Swimming Association has been kind enough to extend all possible support since I started swimming. Other than what you mentioned in your opening remarks, I have represented Indian SAARC team as a coach in Kathmandu, Nepal 2014. I also participated as a coach of Assam Team in the 35th National Games in Kerala (2015) and represented India as a Technical Official in the 12th South Asian Games 2016 in Guwahati. I was the Chief Judge in 3rd Khelo India Youth Games and Best Coach of 2019. Since last 15 yrs I am being given the responsibility of Head Coach of the Assam State Team and we produced national gold medalist swimmers like Shivangi Sharma, Manash Pratim Sharma, Jhanabi Kashyap. I myself won Gold Medal in National Sea Swimming Competition, 2022, at Porbandar, Gujarat recently.

NKD – Let us know your plans to increase swimming medal tally in nationals and expectations.

BG – We have lots of prospects in increasing our medal tally in Swimming and Aquatic Sports. Government of Assam has improved Sports infrastructures across Assam and they have been organizing major sporting events in Guwahati hence trying to make Guwahati  ‘Sports capital of India’. We have good pool of swimmers here and are being given class training. Assam has the potential of podium finish in Olympics for India in next 3 editions of games. We get continuous support from our association and federation and Government of Assam ensures sportsperson are given best of facilities. If this continues, Assam surely will produce world class swimmers and aquatic sportspersons. Assam will have more Jhanabis, Manash, Shivangis, Kasturis and Kuldeeps and I look forward to lead from the front. To achieve our goal, we need support from our people through media like you give us space to speak and express.

NKD – How do you feel about your 30 hours ‘Water Yoga’ feat ?

BG- I am happy to achieve what I planned. Glad that Assam Swimming Association backed me since beginning of career. Sports Authority of India (SAI) has been instrumental in achieving this feat. All successful people have a goal. No one can get anywhere unless he knows where he wants to go and what he wants to be or do. I was clear from day 1 when I planned it and I am blessed I could make it successful. I thank Indian Swimming Federation for their support and representatives of Record Book who were present at the Zakir Hussain Aquatic Complex, Sarusajai Stadium for documenting our feat and booking it in their record book. I am happy to learn from them that the documentation is being sent to ‘Guinness Book of World Records’ by authorized observers. I am lucky to be trusted by parents of my students in achieving feats and setting records also by sports enthusiasts of the nation.

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