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The stories of courage never fail to inspire us. In fact, they also make us realize how easy our lives are. Choosing a convenient way and settling into oblivion is easy. Fighting destiny at every step and reaching the pinnacle? Not so much! When stuck with an unfortunate incident, most of us tend to wallow in our sorrows. However, there are those that rise, just like a phoenix, and display immense courage and talent. This is the story of one such fighter, a brave soul who gave his country his all, not only on the battle ground but also on the sports field. This is the story of Murlikant Petkar.
A war hero who brought India her first-ever paralympic gold. A sportsman who inspired generations and continued his hard work without ever expecting anything in return. We are too small even to trace his footsteps; all we can do is find inspiration through his numerous life stories.
Details | |
Full Name | Murlikant Rajaram Petkar |
Age | 72 (as of 2019) |
Sport Category | Swimming, Javelin, Table Tennis, Shot Put |
Date of Birth | 1st November 1947 |
Hometown | Pune/Sangli, Maharashtra |
Achievement | Olympic Gold Medalist |
Children | Arjun |
Murlikant Petkar Biography
Early Life
Murlikant Petkar was born on 1st November 1947 in the Peth Islampur region of Sangli, Maharashtra. Right since school days Petkar developed an interest in sports. He was particularly good at wrestling, athletics, and hockey.
he defeated the village head’s son in wrestling and had to face the wrath of all villagers. Hence, he ran away to Pune. There he enrolled in the Boys Battalion of the Indian Army in Pune and excelled at every sport. Over a period of time, he became a talented boxer.
Career
Petkar started working as a jawan in the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) in the Indian Army. Very soon, he got an opportunity to represent the Indian Army in Boxing at the International Services Sports Meet 1964 in Tokyo.
After he was transferred to Secunderabad, Petkar started training to be armourer and preparation for Nationals began in full swing.
Indo-Pak War
The following year changed his life forever. During the 1965 Indo-Pak War Petkar was posted at the Sialkot Sector in Kashmir.
He sustained multiple gunshots, was run over by a car, and even lost his memory. In fact, he has a bullet lodged in his spine.
The Comeback
In 1968, Petkar participated in table tennis at the Summer Paralympics and cleared the first round. He won four medals in swimming in total. In 1967, he became the Maharashtra State Champion in Shot-put, Javelin throw, Discus throw, Weightlifting, Table Tennis, and Archery.
The highlight of Petkar’s career was the gold he won in the 50-metre freestyle swimming event in the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Germany. With this achievement, he set a world record in the event clocking 37.33 seconds. Though the said event does not exact now, his record was never broken.
His victory brought India her first paralympic gold and captivated the attention of the entire nation. Moreover, he displayed immense talent in multiple games in the tournament by reaching the finals of javelin, precision javelin throw, and slalom.
In 1972, he began working in Telco, Pune where he is now at the post of Senior Assistant in the Public Relation Department.
Padma Shri Glory
Years of hard work, but hardly any appreciation did not deter Petkar. However, he has been representing the country at various levels and making each Indian proud.
“I broke the world record, but I did not beg for an Arjuna Award,” said Petkar. “Now, the government’s rule is to file the application and do a police verification and all. I have broken the world record, and the government knows everything about me. The government should come to me and ask me for my details. Why should I go to them?” Mr Petkat was quoted by Scroll.
Finally, it was in the year 2018 that he was honoured with the Padma Shri award.
Murlikant Petkar Achievements
Awards
| 1981 | – Outstanding Sportsman Award, Mayor of Pune |
| 1979 | – Krida Pratishthan, Outstanding Sportsman by Shri Vijay Merchant at Bombay |
| 1976 | – President of All India Mayors Council, Mr Thorat felicitated him for being – National Champion (1968-76) |
| 1975 | – Shiv Chattrapati Award by Maharashtra Government |
| 1975 | – Special Prize for Outstanding Performance by Pune Jaycees |
| 1973 | – Gaurav Padak by then-Mayor of Pune N. B. Limaye |
| 1971 | – Best Swimmer Shield by Gen Manekshaw |
| 1965 | – Raksha Medal |
National
| 1988 | – Silver in 30 M Freestyle Swimming at National Wheelchair Sports |
| 1985 | – Two Golds in Shot-put and 50 M Freestyle Swimming at the 4th National Sports – for the Handicapped held at New Delhi (Nehru Stadium) |
| 1984 | – Two Golds in Swimming and Javelin Throw, World Day of the Disabled |
| 1983 | – Two Golds in Swimming and Shot-put respectively at the Chandigarh National Handicapped Sports Meet |
| 1981 | – Two Golds in 50 M Freestyle Swimming and Shot-put – Two Golds in Shot-Put and Wheelchair Race at the Maharashtra Athletic Sports Meet |
| 1980 | – Three Golds in 50 M Freestyle Swimming, Shot-put and Swimming Relay, a Silver in Javelin Throw and a Bronze in the Wheelchair Race at the National Sports for Paraplegic at Pune |
| 1979 | – Two Golds in 50 M Freestyle Swimming and Shot-put 20th World Day of the Disabled |
| 1978 | – Four Golds at the National Paraplegic Sports held at Paraplegic Home Kirkee, Pune |
| 1977 | – Four Golds in 50 M Freestyle Swimming, 50 M Breast Stroke, Shot-put and Javelin Throw respectively at 18th World Day of the Disabled Sports Meet |
| 1976 | – Participated in the 17th World Day of the Disabled sports meet |
| 1975 | – Three Golds in 50 M Freestyle Swimming, Javelin Throw and Shot-put at 1st National Sports for the disabled held At Bangalore. |
| 1974 | – Three Golds, one each for Free Style Swimming, Shot-put and Discuss Throw at the 15th World Day of the Disabled Meet held at Bombay |
| 1973 | – Two Golds in Swimming, one Gold each in Shot-put, Javelin Throw and Discuss Throw, 2nd place in Table Tennis and Obstacle Race at The Third Sports Festival for the Physically Handicapped on occasion of 14TH World Day of Disabled at Bangalore. |
| 1973 | – Bronze in 4x400mt Freestyle Relay at Poona Region Amateur Athletic Association meet. |
| 1973 | – Two Golds in Swimming, one Gold each in Shot-put, Javelin Throw and Discuss Throw, 2nd place in Table Tennis and Obstacle Race at The Third Sports Festival for the Physically Handicapped on occasion of 14TH World Day of Disabled at Bangalore. |
| 1969 | – Overall Champion at the 10th World Day for the Disabled Sports Meet, excelling at Shot-put, Javelin Throw, Discuss Throw, Weight Lifting, Table Tennis and Archery. |
International
| 1982 | – Gold and another world record in 50 M Swimming as also a Bronze Medal in Javelin Throw at the International FESPIC Games in Hong Kong. |
| 1976 | – Represented India at the Paralympics held at Toronto Canada in August 1976. |
| 1975 | – Gold and another world record in Swimming at Stoke Mandeville International Paraplegic Meet, UKSilver in Shot-put. |
| 1972 | – Gold medal, as well as a new world record (37.33 seconds) in 50 M Swimming at the Summer Paralympics held at Heidelberg, Germany. |
| 1971 | – Gold in 50 M Freestyle Swimming and Silver in Javelin Throw at Stoke Mandeville, England. |
| 1970 | – Gold in 50 M Freestyle Swimming, Silver in Javelin Throw and Bronze in Shot-put at the 3rd Commonwealth Paraplegic Games held at Edinburgh, Scotland. Was felicitated by then PM of England, Edward Heath. |
| 1969 | – Gold in 50 M Freestyle Swimming at Stoke Mandeville International Paraplegic Meet (England). Mr. Petkar also won the General Championship Cup for 5 years straight from 1969-73. |
| 1968 | – Gold, 50 M Swimming at the International Games at Moscow |
| 1964 | – Participated in Flyweight Boxing at Service Sports meet at Tokyo, Japan |
Murlikant Petkar Movie
A movie on Padma Shri Murlikant Petkar is in the works with talented actor Sushant Singh Rajput has been roped to portray his role on the big screen. The plan for the movie was first announced in 2017.
“The minute I heard his story, I was on. I wanted to do it without a second thought. What an inspiring story! After playing Dhoni, I’m looking forward to playing Petkar, who never allowed his physical hurdles to stand in the way of his dreams. I like playing characters who dream big,” Sushant said during the promotions of MS Dhoni
After #MSDhoni, Sushant is all set to play the role of #India's Paralympics Champion #MurlikantPetkar– https://t.co/9568bf9Qdd pic.twitter.com/LNr9jTwfqq
— Indiatimes (@indiatimes) October 12, 2016
Murlikant Petkar Family
Petkar currently resides with his son Arjun and his family in Thergaon, Pune.
Social Media
Hero Of 1965 War, #MurlikantPetkar Went On To Win #India's First Paralympic Gold- https://t.co/N6M6J54GCV pic.twitter.com/P3EZ7ZEYo9
— Indiatimes (@indiatimes) January 14, 2016
We r thankful to d Govt. of India for conferring Padma Shri to India's first #Paralympics Gold Medalist, Murlikant Petkar,1972 Summer Paralympics, in Heidelberg Germany. This recognition was long due & will go a long way in promoting d #ParalympicMovement in India. @Rao_InderjitS pic.twitter.com/QBE0cVwE5o
— Paralympic India (@ParalympicIndia) March 22, 2018
