#509 - The Incredible Life of Arati Saha

by Swati Sengupta and illustrated by Sridatri Tagore

“The Incredible Life of Arati Saha” by Swati Sengupta and illustrated by Sridatri Tagore. Published by Talking Cub, the children’s imprint of Speaking Tiger. An  inspirational story of the swimmer who wouldn’t give up and swam her way into history for her incredible achievements.

Arati Saha was born in 1940 in Calcutta. She learnt to swim in the Hooghly river as a child with her cousins. She had a natural flair for swimming which was recognised by her father. He enrolled her in Hatkhola Club where she became quite a star within few years. Her swimming career started with a gold medal when she was just five years old. By the time she turned eight, she took part in the national championship at Bombay competing against the national champion  Dolly Nazir who was five years older than her. Aarti won silver and bronze medals.

Aarti became one of the first four women to represent independent India in Olympics of 1952 held in Helsinki. She also set a record of being the youngest Indian Olympian at eleven years and ten months which stands to this date. Though she came sixth in the heats and did not qualify for the semifinals, she set a record for India in the Olympics. She was looking for another challenge by the time she turned eighteen. Crossing the English Channel seemed to be exactly what she was looking for. No woman from India or Asia for that matter had done so yet. The alluring prospect was too much to resist for her. Read the book to find out the inspirational story of how Arati set her eyes on what seemed like an impossible dream and worked towards achieving it despite all the odds that were stacked against her.

The incredible story had both me and 9.5 year old racing through the pages. We were eager to know how Arati’s journey towards her goal progressed. It was amazing to see how a girl from an ordinary background set her sights on what seemed to be impossible dreams but went on to achieve them with her impeccable hard work, talent and perseverance making her way into the pages of history. What made it even more special was that all of this was at a time when most women didn’t have access to education and were married off early. There were very few women in sports those days. To make her mark in a sport and set goals for herself to get better and achieve even more was such a pioneering effort by Arati. The unwavering support of her father, siblings, cousins, friends and her husband cum manager throughout her career was something that we loved.

The book is part of a series of short and illustrated biographies of Indian icons for younger readers by Talking Cub. The series aims to introduce readers to a diverse group of Indian achievers, both well-known and those who should be. The other books that we’ve read and loved in this series so far are “The Incredible Life of Milkha Singh”, “The Incredible Life of Jhalkari Bai”, “The Incredible Life of Birsa Munda” and “The Incredible Life of Savitribai Phule”.

Recommended Age

The book is apt for children aged 10 and above.

Where to buy from?

The publishers Talking Cub here.

Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Talking Cub, for review. Thank you to Tanu, from Talking Cub, for sending across the book!