Indias First Olympic Swimmer In 1932

[kakatiya]

[b] [size=5]The First Olympic swimmer of British India was an unacknowledged man[/size][/b]
[size=3]
[size=5][img]http://www.indianmemoryproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Nalinda_low.jpg[/img][/size]
[color=#666666][font=inherit][size=2][center][size=5]Nalin Malik with my father and me. Calcutta, West Bengal. December, 1950[/size][/center][/size][/font][/color][/size][size=3]
[size=5][b]Image and Text contributed by[/b] Abhijit Das Gupta, Kolkata[/size][/size][size=3]
[size=5]This image was photographed in Calcutta (Now [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolkata"]Kolkata[/url]) in 1950. I was about four years old. My Father used to take me to the swimming club in[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabindra_Sarobar"] Dhakuria lake[/url] (now [i]Rabindra Sarovar[/i]). The pool in the club doesn’t exist any more.[/size][/size][size=3]
[size=5]Our trainer at the time was a man called [i]Nalin Malik[/i]. What is not known well is that Nalin Malik represented the British India in the [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1932_Summer_Olympics"]1932 Olympics held in Los Angeles[/url], USA . He never had any formal training, in fact he was so poor that he could not even afford full meals.[/size][/size][size=3]
[size=5]From what I know, my uncle, [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pankaj_Gupta"]Pankaj Gupta[/url], also a sports legend spotted Nalin [i]Da[/i] swimming in the Ganges. Pankaj Gupta was a sports administrator and he too began his career with the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He was a manager and coach to the Indian contingent and managed several sports events across Europe and the USA. Nalin Malik stood fourth in the [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swimming_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men%27s_400_metre_freestyle"]400 Meters Swimming Heat 4[/url]. He swam without even a proper swimming costume.[/size][/size][size=3]
[size=5]People used to say Nalin Malik did not swim – he mowed the water apart. The unfortunate part is that he remained an unacknowledged, secluded, and a very lonely man whom no one remembered or paid tribute to. I however, have fond memories of him. He was a very tough trainer. On this day in a cold December in 1950, he made me cross the lake. The return was on his back.[/size][/size][size=3]
[size=5]In the picture, Nalin Malik is on the left. Behind us swims my father.[/size][/size]

[kakatiya]

[b] Heats[/b]

[color=#000000][font=sans-serif][size=3]Monday August 8, 1932: The fastest two in each heat and the fastest third-placed from across the heats advanced to the final.[/size][/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=sans-serif][size=3][b]Heat 1[/b][/size][/font][/color] Place Swimmer Time Qual. 1 [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Merchant_flag_of_Japan_%281870%29.svg/22px-Merchant_flag_of_Japan_%281870%29.svg.png[/img] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takashi_Yokoyama_(swimmer)"]Takashi Yokoyama[/url] [size=3]([url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics"]JPN[/url])[/size] 4:53.2 QQ [b]OR[/b] 2 [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/US_flag_48_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_48_stars.svg.png[/img] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Gilhula"]James Gilhula[/url] [size=3]([url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics"]USA[/url])[/size] 4:53.3 QQ 3 [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Flag_of_Canada_1921.svg/22px-Flag_of_Canada_1921.svg.png[/img] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Burrows_(swimmer)&action=edit&redlink=1"]George Burrows[/url] [size=3]([url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics"]CAN[/url])[/size] 5:28.9
[color=#000000][font=sans-serif][size=3][b]Heat 2[/b][/size][/font][/color] Place Swimmer Time Qual. 1 [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/US_flag_48_stars.svg/22px-US_flag_48_stars.svg.png[/img] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buster_Crabbe"]Buster Crabbe[/url] [size=3]([url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics"]USA[/url])[/size] 4:59.8 QQ 2 [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Merchant_flag_of_Japan_%281870%29.svg/22px-Merchant_flag_of_Japan_%281870%29.svg.png[/img] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noboru_Sugimoto"]Noboru Sugimoto[/url] [size=3]([url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics"]JPN[/url])[/size] 5:00.2 QQ 3 [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png[/img] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Wainwright"]Norman Wainwright[/url] [size=3]([url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britain_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics"]GBR[/url])[/size] 5:12.0 4 [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Flag_of_Mexico_%281916-1934%29.svg/22px-Flag_of_Mexico_%281916-1934%29.svg.png[/img] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ignacio_Guti%C3%A9rrez&action=edit&redlink=1"]Ignacio Gutiérrez[/url] [size=3]([url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics"]MEX[/url])[/size] 5:29.1
[color=#000000][font=sans-serif][size=3][b]Heat 3[/b][/size][/font][/color] Place Swimmer Time Qual. 1 [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b9/Flag_of_Australia.svg/22px-Flag_of_Australia.svg.png[/img] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_Charlton"]Boy Charlton[/url] [size=3]([url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics"]AUS[/url])[/size] 4:59.8 QQ 2 [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Flag_of_Italy_%281861-1946%29.svg/22px-Flag_of_Italy_%281861-1946%29.svg.png[/img] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paolo_Costoli"]Paolo Costoli[/url] [size=3]([url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics"]ITA[/url])[/size] 5:06.7 QQ 3 [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Flag_of_Canada_1921.svg/22px-Flag_of_Canada_1921.svg.png[/img] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Spence"]Walter Spence[/url] [size=3]([url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics"]CAN[/url])[/size] 5:10.0 qq 4 [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Civil_Ensign_of_Hungary.svg/22px-Civil_Ensign_of_Hungary.svg.png[/img] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gyula_K%C3%A1n%C3%A1sy&action=edit&redlink=1"]Gyula Kánásy[/url] [size=3]([url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungary_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics"]HUN[/url])[/size] 5:40.8 5 [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Flag_of_Mexico_%281916-1934%29.svg/22px-Flag_of_Mexico_%281916-1934%29.svg.png[/img] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Villegas"]Manuel Villegas[/url] [size=3]([url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics"]MEX[/url])[/size] 5:54.2
[color=#000000][font=sans-serif][size=3][b]Heat 4[/b][/size][/font][/color] Place Swimmer Time Qual. 1 [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/22px-Flag_of_France.svg.png[/img] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Taris"]Jean Taris[/url] [size=3]([url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics"]FRA[/url])[/size] 4:53.3 QQ 2 [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Flag_of_Italy_%281861-1946%29.svg/22px-Flag_of_Italy_%281861-1946%29.svg.png[/img] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Perentin"]Giuseppe Perentin[/url] [size=3]([url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics"]ITA[/url])[/size] 5:09.1 QQ 3 [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/22px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png[/img] [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Leivers"]Bob Leivers[/url] [size=3]([url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britain_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics"]GBR[/url])[/size] 5:14.6 4 [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/India-Viceroy-1885.svg/22px-India-Viceroy-1885.svg.png[/img] [size=6][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nalin_Malik&action=edit&redlink=1"][color=#ff0000]Nalin Malik[/color][/url][color=#ff0000] ([/color][url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics"][color=#ff0000]IND[/color][/url][color=#ff0000]) 5:59.0
[font=sans-serif][b]Heat 5[/b][/font][/color][/size]