JANASENA Posted May 1, 2015 Report Posted May 1, 2015 Had the name of Samsheer Khan been known to the world, Future of many budding Samsheer Khans would have been safe. It's very often when we see our Government/system futility to respect and honor the deserving athletes who surpass every obstacle and bring the name of our nation worldwide. Yes, this is story of another legendary Olympian Samsheer khan, born in Islampur town of Guntur Dist, Andhra Pradesh, who is left to struggle to meet his medical expenses in order to keep his soul and body together. Memories are still fresh of Olympics London 2012 when around 11200 participants were applying from India marking it as the nation with highest number of participants. It's also been aired that a government would spend lavishly and award every athlete with hefty amount who win the shield. In spite of so much involvement of India in Olympic 2012 and spending crores of money on training athletes, it failed to produce significant number of achievers. It gives more pain, when the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) forgets Shamsher Khan's feat who is also the first Indian swimmer qualified for an Olympic event , but bestows the same honour to Sandeep Sejwal instead, who did same after 50 years by standing poor 36th in Beijing Olympics of 2008 against Shamsher who had finished fifth at the Melbourne Games of 1956, more than 50 years before. A forgotten hero now, Shamsher represented India half-a-century ago when few of his countrymen would have even dreamt of swimming beyond their local pools. At crumbling age of 82, Shamsher, a native of Kaithepalli near Repalle in Guntur district, is now struggling to make both ends meet. According to sources, Shamser had to run from pillar to post behind government officials for pension and for assistance when his home got wiped out in floods. It brings the utmost pain by seeing such a treatment given to an Olympic champion. It brings tears when his Younger son Shah Ali says that his father refuses to take drugs keeping in view of our poor financial condition. He tells people that he is surviving because he is a champion so had suffered a stroke two years back. He also reveals the fact that his name was missing on the SFI list. District sports development officer Venkateswara Rao says it is not of anyone's piece of cake to qualify for the Olympics. "The current crop of swimmers, despite having international coaches and world-class facilities, struggle to even qualify for the preliminary rounds. "Here you have a sportsman from a remote village in Guntur who took part in the Olympics way back in 1956. We all have reason to be proud of Shamsher Khan," he observed. Fateemunissa, the octogenarian Olympian's wife, says it is shocking that her husband was not recognized for his glories in the swimming pool. "My husband used to spend a major part of his salary on swimming competitions at the national and international level. He used to tell me that he was doing it to win laurels for the nation. We are all proud of him but no sports body or government has bothered about him or his family," she complains. Shamsher also had joined the Indian Army as a teen and took part in the Indo-China war in 1962 and the war with Pakistan in 1971. Today he is bought to such a situation that he struggles for his daily bread. At the age of 82, he had to send requests through a news paper that he needs an help from the state /central government or from the people. Such an ill-tasted treatment from our government and Sports federation of India brings shame to our nation and we all have to share this shame without any fault. Logical Indians want such ignorance towards such highly talented people to be stopped completely as insulting such credible people not only takes the nation in the back foot but also curbs the progress of the nation. What Shamsher did way back in 1956 was nothing else but legendary and our sports federation is yet to do its homework for realizing it.
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