LIFE DEDICATED TO PROMOTING SWIMMING

Ananda Kunwar was felicitated by late His Majesty King Birendra Shah for his outstanding performance in the field of swimming. Now he is a dedicated swim instructor. 

 By LB THAPA

My dear readers of READ 2B HAPPY. Today I am going to present a story of a man who has devoted his entire life to the promotion of swimming in Pokhara, but after having spent all his life to the service of swimming, in return he got nothing. Literarily speaking, he vastly feels cheated and deceived by the corrupt system of the country. 

What a tragedy of this country where a person like Pushkar Shah, a legendary world cyclist, and pride of the nation, has to wash dishes in a restaurant in Australia. With tearful eyes, Shah himself had spoken on social media that why he went to Australia to make a living by washing dishes. 

When Pushkar Shah was in limelight he was offered a job and citizenship by many European countries, which he had promptly declined---He was too patriotic and loved his country above anything. Now he regrets not taking his life too seriously and pragmatically. 

Well, today my guest is not Pushkar Shah but Ananda Kunwar. His story is no different from Pushkar Shah. Even after spending decades in swimming, now Ananda Kunwar finds himself nowhere. 

Around three decades ago when Ananda Kunwar was a teenager, he used to swim in Fewa Lake. This was a daily routine of his life as a kid. 

“I was fond of swimming”, said Ananda Kunwar and continued. “I was the best among the group of my friends. We grew by swimming in Fewa Lake. Our favorite place of swimming was around the Tal Barahi temple area. Over the years, we had developed amazing stamina for swimming”. 

It was 1996 a team of officials from Kathmandu had come to Pokhara. They wanted to prepare a swimmers team from Kaski to participate in the National Games. When they met us, we had been immediately selected for the team because we were already consummate swimmers. 

“After having received a few days basic training we were ready to participate in competitions. Thus, a swimming team from Kaski was ready to participate in the National Games. Later I was also selected for the Asian Games. It was like dream come true for me to get selected to compete in the Asian Games which was held in Kathmandu in 1996”, said Ananda Kunwar. 

It was the first experience for Ananda Kunwar to participate in the Asian Games, but he surprised everyone by winning two silver and two bronze medals. After then he did not look back. He continuously marched forward with galloping successes. He was even selected to attend Asia Pacific Swimming Competition held in 1996 in New Delhi, India. He was also selected for the series of National Games and every time his performance was outstanding.   

Ananda Kunwar did also participate in the 8^th South Asian Games held in Kathmandu in 2000. In this tournament, he gave his best and won a bronze medal. Appreciating his outstanding performance in swimming, Ananda Kunwar was felicitated with Gorkha Dakchhin Bahu by late His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev. 

“I am proud of receiving such a prestigious title from none other than his Majesty. Now I have the fond memories of those golden moments of my life”, said Ananda being nostalgic.   

“After the massacre of the royal family, there was political turmoil in the country. The autocratic government was demolished and a Federal Democratic Republic political system was introduced in the country. Under this political system, things did not improve as we had expected. Corruption became so dominant that today Nepal has been declared one of the most corrupted countries in the world,” lamented Ananda.   

At the onset of the new political system, Ananda was hopeful to get a position to promote swimming in Kaski. But it never happened anything like that. He ran pillar to post to convince the concerned policymakers and high-ranking officers about his achievements. But his request merely fell on deaf ears.   

“I saw many people who have been entrusted the responsibility of promoting swimming in the Kaski district, but they were not worthy for the job. They had virtually no knowledge about swimming. What can we expect from such coaches and officials who have little or no knowledge about swimming?” asked Ananda. 

Ananda was sidelined and neglected at a time when there was no one equal to him in the field of swimming. However, most of the appointments were politically motivated. 

“There is Kaski District Swimming Association (KDSA) which was established in 2012 in Pokhara. I don’t have to say anything. Anyone can see what types of people are involved in this association and what they are doing for the development of swimming in Kaski district,” blamed Ananda. 

Although Ananda has also been included in the association, he has no power to make any decision. “I have been there only for namesake. This hurts me”. 

At present Ananda has been working as a swimming instructor at Birauta Swimming and Fitness Club. Until now, Ananda has trained several national-level swimmers and he has trained over 3000 people. 

“Swimming is so important that I think it should be made mandatory to be taught in every school. Without a doubt, swimming is one of the best physical exercises. In addition, a trained swimmer will not only save his/her life but others' lives as well,” opined Ananda. 

Ananda does not hesitate to blame a corrupt system that has engulfed every sector of the country in general but the sporting sector in particular. He advises that politicians must stop interfering with the matter of sports. The sporting sector should be handled by experienced sportspersons. Only then will the sporting sector of Nepal can make steady progress in all departments. 

LB Thapa is a Pokhara-based freelance writer and author. Photo: Tirtha Awasthi

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