Teen boxer swims 2.5 km in flood-hit Karnataka for championship, wins silver
Bengaluru: A 19-year-old boxer, Nishan Manohar Kadam from Mannur village in Belagvi district of Karnataka last week won a silver medal in the state-level championship. But this is not the story here. This is the story about his indomitable spirit that springs hope even as parts of Karnataka continue to battle with floods.
Kadam, a Class XII student, had been eyeing the wrestling event for long. But when the time came to realise his dream, a massive flood marooned his village. But he and his father, a farmer, found a way to beat the nature's fury.
On August 7, when Kadam has to catch a train to Bengaluru to participate in the wrestling event, floodwater was head-high around his home. The three roads connecting his village were all submerged and damaged. They had been cordoned off by the rescue workers, according to a Times of India report.
However, this did not deter Kadam and his father. They covered the boxing kit in plastic, and jumped into the floodwater. They covered a distance of 2.5 km swimming for 45 minutes to reach the spot where Kadam could join the Belagavi district team.
Three days later, Nishan won silver in his category in Bengaluru. "I was waiting for this event and didn't want to miss it at any cost," said a jubilant Kadam.
"Since our area was surrounded by water and no vehicles could enter, we had no other option but to swim," he said.
Although the teenager could not win gold in the light flyweight category losing out to Bharath from Bengaluru, he was happy with his performance and hopeful of a better show next year. "This time I lost gold because of my bad luck. Next year, I will surely win gold," he said.
courtesy: www.indiatoday.in
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Had a very good conversation with friend Modi: Trump
Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Friday said he had a "very good conversation" with his "friend" Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He was referring to the talks the two leaders had on Tuesday.
"I had a very good talk with him, and he's a friend of mine from India, and he's doing great. We had a very good conversation," Trump told reporters here as he headed to Las Vegas to address a roundtable on tax cuts.
Trump had called Modi on Tuesday to discuss the bilateral relationship and share perspectives on the situation in West Asia, where the US and Israel have launched a war on Iran.
The US and Iran declared a two-week ceasefire on April 7. They engaged in peace talks with Washington, insisting that Tehran give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons and uranium enrichment.
The war with Iran has sent gas prices soaring as Tehran blocked the sea lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow gateway for a fifth of global oil supplies.
During the Trump-Modi phone call on Tuesday, the two leaders stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and secure.
According to the US Ambassador to India Sergei Gor, the 40-minute conversation ended with Trump telling Modi, "we all love you".
Tuesday's phone call was the second between the two leaders since the US-Israel war with Iran began on February 28.
