Nagpur Teen Becomes First Visually-Impaired Swimmer To Cross Palk Strait, Creates History
Ishwari began her swim from Talaimannar in Sri Lanka and completed the 38-kilometre journey in 11 hours and 15 minutes. Reports Dhananjay Tiple
Published : April 7, 2026 at 4:38 PM IST
Nagpur: They say determination is the quiet force that turns obstacles into milestones and makes the impossible achievable. Seventeen-year-old Ishwari Pandey, a visually impaired athlete from Nagpur, has charted her name in history by successfully swimming across the Palk Strait. She has become the first visually-impaired swimmer in the world to achieve such a feat.
Born visually impaired, Ishwari began her swim from Talaimannar in Sri Lanka and completed the 38-kilometre journey to Dhanushkodi in India in 11 hours and 15 minutes. She entered the waters near Urmalai Point around 4:00 AM on April 6 and reached Arichalmunai at Dhanushkodi at 3:15 PM.
She battled powerful ocean currents, shifting tides, heavy rain, and strong winds to complete this expedition. She also navigated dangerous marine life, including jellyfish and sharks, which makes this achievement even more remarkable.
Her coach, Sanjay Batwe, said that her achievement is "truly commendable." He said, "From the very beginning, there were obstacles. The start was delayed by four hours, and she could only begin after receiving clearance from the Sri Lankan authorities. She braved rain, strong winds, and ferocious waves to complete this journey."
A team of experienced swimmers from Nagpur were with Ishwari as pace swimmers, including Ishant Pandey, Ravindra Tarare, Bhavi Rajgire, Sandeep Vaidya, Shankar Ashtankar, Vilas Phale, and Dr Nirav Pandya. The support team also included Dr Abhay Rajgire as part of the medical crew.
National coach Vijaykumar was an observer. Jayakumar from the Tamil Nadu District Swimming Association and international open-water swimmer Sukhdev Dhurve were also present during the expedition. A resident of Ashirwadnagar in Hudkeshwar, Ishwari is the daughter of Kamlesh Pandey, a computer operator with the Nagpur Zilla Parishad, and Aruna Pandey, a homemaker.
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