1959 Arati Saha
FIRST INDIAN WOMAN TO SWIM ACROSS THE ENGLISH CHANNEL
There’s no territory on Earth which can’t be conquered by women. Arati Saha proved this in 1959 when she became not only the first and the fastest Indian woman, but also the first Asian woman to swim across the English Channel. She received the Padma Shri in 1960 and became the first Indian sportswoman to win the fourth highest civilian honour. Born on 24 September 1940 in Bengal, Saha’s journey of standing out began in 1952, when she—as a 12-year-old—represented India in the Summer Olympics as the youngest member of the Indian contingent. Being a water baby since she was four, Saha participated in and won several recognitions at the state and national level swimming competitions. Inspired by Brojen Das—the first person from the Indian subcontinent to cross the English Channel, Saha decided to venture on the ‘Everest of Open Water Swimming’. The rest, as they say, is history.
1959
THE MILITARY GETS ITS FIRST WOMAN MEDICAL PARATROOPER
Flight Lt Dr Gita Chanda was a medical officer who was also the first Indian woman medical paratrooper. She was later appointed as an instructor for paratroopers— comprising only men, at the time. She would take them for their compulsory 20-km run, and if any of them faltered during, he would get an earful in language that was colourful, to say the least. She was notorious for pulling the candidate “by the scruff”. An old editorial mentions the writer witnessing her “kick the trainees in the you-know-what”. Her trainees consciously avoided treading a path where they would encounter her during off-duty hours. Reportedly, one of her favourite maxims was, “The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war.”
1959
Pratima Puri
India’s first TV newsreader with Doordarshan
This story is from the October 24, 2019 edition of Femina.
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This story is from the October 24, 2019 edition of Femina.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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