WE ALL know the name, we all know the movie, but the three hours do not do justice to the legend of the man. He is the man who had to leave his village just because he defeated Sarpanch’s son; he is the man who had to take up boxing because the coach was not picking him for hockey team; a man who was fighting with nine Pakistani bullets in his body and needed a tank to run over him to stop fighting; he is the man who took up swimming and became first Indian to win gold medal in Paralympics; this is the story of the man who made the Queen of England jump with joy with his performance; meet real life ‘Chandu Champion’, meet Padma Shri Muralikant Rajaram Petkar. Born in Peth Islampur area in Sangali district in 1942, Muralidhar Rajaram Petkar had always been an active kid who liked boxing. Little did he know, a little bout with son of Sarpanch, which he won, will change his life forever and make him an inspiration for millions of youths in the country.

 

“I defeated the son of Sarpanch of our village. The Sarpanch could not bear the humiliation and started torturing me and my family, forcing me to leave my hometown,” recalled Muralidhar Petkar in an exclusive interview with ‘The Hitavada’ on Friday. He was in the city to receive ‘Shrimant Raje Bahadur Raghuji Maharaj Bhosle (Chaturth) Smruti Puraskar’, awarded by Rajratna Puraskar Sammiti to honour his achievements in the field of sports. Muralidhar Petkar had to shift to Pune to live with his aunt, where he joined Boys Battalion of Indian Army, a unit of Indian army that was designed to train young cadets for military service. “My training took me to Bangalore where I took up boxing in 1958 after not being selected in hockey team despite performing well,” informed Petkar. In boxing, he not only made the national team but also defeated 13 visiting Japanese boxers in 1964 to win the silver medal.

 

The year 1965, though, turned out to be turning point in his life. Muralikant Petkar, who was now a ‘Jawan’ of the craftsman rank in the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (CME), and his company came under intense enemy air fire, leaving him injured with nine bullets in his body and putting him in coma for two years after an army tank passed over his body. “When I woke up, I found himself in an army hospital which I mistook it for a Pakistani army camp and attacked a General of Indian Army who was on round at the time,” recalled Petkar. Muralikant Petkar only left the throat of General after they produced an Identity Card and a Tricolour came into his sight through the hospital window. This incident prompted then Defence Minister and Army Chief to introduce name badges in uniform of Indian Army. He was out of coma but was left partially disabled as doctors were only able to remove eight bullets from his body, leaving one stuck in his spine. This again prompted change in sport for Petkar to take up swimming.

 

“I not only excelled in the sport but also became the first Indian to win a gold medal in 50m freestyle competition, at the Paralympics Games held at Heidelberg, Germany in 1972,” said Petkar. “Queen Elizabeth II of Britain, who was present at the Games, was so impressed watching my record setting performance that she started jumping watching my performance,” added Petkar with a smile on his face. The real life ‘Chandu Champion’ though was largely ignored by the Government for recognition . He only recveived Padma Shri in 2018 and his dream ‘Arjuna Award’ on January 17 this year. Despite facing challenges, Padma Shri Muralikant Petkar always found the courage to move ahead. “Happiness is the best diet that keeps you ready to face any challenges and keeps you going,” stated Petkar when asked about the secret of his success.