Meet Muralikant Petkar: The Man Who Launched Billion Indian Dreams In Paralympics

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His world record of 37.33 seconds in image source the 50-metre freestyle swimming still stands (although that specific category doesn’t exist anymore). “When he heard that my father was in a coma for one-and-a-half years after he suffered bullet injuries to the chest, spine and leg, Sushant said he was amazed by the courage, patience and patriotism displayed by my father,“ Arjun said. Arjun Petkar, Murlikant Petkar’s son, told The Indian Express that Sushant was floored by his father’s achievements and wanted to play him on-screen in his biopic. He started swimming to regain strength and recover from his injuries.

  • Not just that, he is the first Indian to win an individual gold medal in either Paralympics or Olympics.
  • „I made a bundle of all my certificates and medals and stashed them away, resolving never to make any application for any award again,“ Petkar told IANS.

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  • Portraying the legendary Murlikant Petkar, India’s first Paralympic gold medalist, Aaryan went through an intense physical transformation, pushing himself beyond limits to embody the spirit of a true champion.

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  • A soldier in the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), Petkar was severely injured during an attack.

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  • He had a natural gift for boxing, moving up the ranks and getting the national title in 1965.

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  • “The doctors at INHS Asvini were a great help and so was my Commandant, who always stood by me.

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Indo-Pakistan War

When his army camp came under aerialfiring from Pakistani troops, he was left with multiple bullet wounds and was also run over by an army vehicle. Murlikant’s promising boxing career took a dramatic turn during the 1965 Indo-Pak war when he sustained severe bullet wounds that left him disabled. However, this setback did not diminish his passion for sports; instead, it fueled his determination to excel in other arenas.

Awards and Accomplishments

It was the first time that we realised that there are separate courts for disabled athletes and also that they were a bit different from those for the able-bodied. Their wheelchairs were made of metal and very sturdy and smooth whereas what we had were three-wheeled wooden contraptions,” adds Petkar. Murlikant’s early life was marked by a deep love for sports, particularly boxing. His talent in the ring soon caught the attention of the Indian Army, and he was recruited as a jawan of the craftsman rank in the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME).

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In 1982, when his application for the Arjuna Award was rejected by the government, he decided never to apply for any award. „I made a bundle of all my certificates and medals and stashed them away, resolving never to make any application for any award again,“ Petkar told IANS. The athlete told The Indian Express, “One bullet still remains lodged in my spine as a reminder.

I trained harder and participated in the Paralympics after doing well at the national level,” he told Procaffenation. Aceing whatever challenges life gave threw at him, Petkar used all available resources to train in the sport and attain glory through it. In 2023, a biopic titled ‘Chandu Champion’ was announced, based on the life of Murlikant Petkar. Before him, Sushant Singh Rajput was selected in 2016 to play the role.