Murlikant Petkar is India’s first-ever Paralympics gold medalist who broke the world record in swimming in 1972. A paraplegic, his fightback has inspired the biopic ‘Chandu Champion’ starring Kartik Aaryan. His love for sports had once earned him the wrath of his village, forcing a young Petkar to flee to Pune where he later got himself enrolled in an army battalion. In the midst of the India-Pakistan war in 1965, Petkar sustained multiple gunshots and was run over by an army vehicle. Lying in the hospital bed, he had two options – accept his fate or give his life a fighting chance.

Source: The Telegraph June 17, 2024 08:25 UTC