Mihir Sen facts for kids

Mihir Sen (born November 16, 1930 – died June 11, 1997) was a famous Indian long-distance swimmer and a lawyer. He made history as the first person from Asia to swim across the English Channel. He swam from Dover to Calais in 1958. This amazing swim took him 14 hours and 45 minutes.

Mihir Sen was also the only person to swim across oceans on five different continents in just one year (1966). These incredible swims included the Palk Strait, Dardanelles, Bosphorus, Gibraltar, and the entire Panama Canal. Because of these unique achievements, he was listed in The Guinness Book of Records. He was called the "world's greatest long distance swimmer."

Early Life and Education

Mihir Sen was born on November 16, 1930, in Purulia, West Bengal, India. His father, Ramesh Sengupta, was a doctor, and his mother was Lilabati. When Mihir was eight, his family moved to Cuttack. They moved because his mother wanted him to go to better schools there.

Mihir later earned a law degree from Utkal University in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. He dreamed of going to England to study law even further. He did not have enough money for this trip. However, the Chief Minister of Orissa, Biju Patnaik, helped him financially in 1950. This help allowed Mihir to travel to England to continue his studies.

Studying Law in England

While in England, Mihir Sen worked at India House. This was where the Indian Ambassador, Krishna Menon, was based. On February 21, 1951, he joined Lincoln's Inn to study law. He studied hard by borrowing books from the library. He became a lawyer at Lincoln's Inn on November 23, 1954.

His Amazing Swimming Career

Mihir Sen receiving a certificate from Lord Freyberg in London.

Mihir Sen was inspired by an article he read about Florence Chadwick. She was the first American woman to swim the English Channel in 1950. Mihir wanted to achieve this feat for his own country. At that time, he was not a very experienced swimmer. So, he took lessons at the local YMCA. He learned the front crawl technique, also known as freestyle.

Conquering the English Channel

On September 27, 1958, Mihir Sen became very famous. He successfully swam across the English Channel from Dover to Calais. He completed the swim in 14 hours and 45 minutes. This was the fourth fastest time ever recorded for that swim. When he returned to India, he was seen as a national hero. He became a role model for young people. In 1959, the Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, gave him the Padma Shri award.

Swimming the World's Oceans

Mihir Sen then decided to take on an even bigger challenge. He wanted to be the first person to swim across oceans on five continents in one year (1966). First, he needed money to pay the Indian Navy. They would help record and guide his swim across the Palk Strait. Mihir raised half the money from sponsors. The newspaper The Statesman was a notable sponsor. The other half was provided by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. She also arranged for the Indian Navy ships, INS Sukanya and INS Sharada, to support him during the Palk Strait swim.

• Palk Strait: On April 5–6, 1966, Mihir Sen became the first Indian to swim across the Palk Strait. This strait is between Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) and Dhanushkodi, India. It took him 25 hours and 36 minutes.
• Straits of Gibraltar: On August 24, he became the first Asian to cross the Straits of Gibraltar. He completed this swim in 8 hours and 1 minute.
• Dardanelles: On September 12, he became the first person in the world to swim across the 40-mile-long Dardanelles. This swim, from Europe to Asia Minor, took him 13 hours and 55 minutes.
• Bosphorus: In the same year, Mihir Sen was also the first Indian to swim the Bosphorus in Turkey. He finished this swim in 4 hours.
• Panama Canal: From October 29–31, he became the first non-American and third person to swim the entire 50-mile length of the Panama Canal. This amazing feat took him 34 hours and 15 minutes.

These incredible achievements earned him a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. In 1967, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi awarded him the Padma Bhushan. That same year, he also won the Blitz Nehru Trophy for his "daring achievements in the seven seas of the world."

Life Back in India

After his English Channel victory, Mihir Sen returned to India in 1958. At that time, some clubs had a "whites only" rule. This meant Indians were not allowed to enter. Mihir Sen started a big public campaign to change this rule. Because of his efforts, clubs across India were forced to open their doors to all Indians. He first worked as a lawyer at the Calcutta High Court. Later, he became a successful businessman.

Death

Mihir Sen passed away in June 1997 at the age of 66. He had been suffering from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.