Former swimmer, freedom fighter cremated

Dhaka, Nov 17 (bdnews24.com) – Hundreds of admires from the country's sporting arena on Tuesday paid their last homage to late swimming hero and freedom fighter Arun Kumar Nandi at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

The dead body of Nandi, who breathed his last on Sunday morning in Kolkata, aged 67, was kept open for all at BNS for one hour as organisers, officials from different national federations, Bangladesh Olympic Association, National Sports Council and former swimmers, National Sports Awardees, his colleagues and relatives paid their respect placing floral wreaths.

Later, his funeral rite was performed at the Ithuli Cremation Ground in Chandpur before the freedom fighter was given a guard of honour from the state.

After paying homage at BNS, the dead body of Nandi was taken to the Arun Nandi Swimming Pool in Chandpur where some thousands of people honoured the swimming hero.

During the Liberation War, Nandi undertook a marathon swim of 90 hours and five minutes at a stretch, at Bou Bazar, in West Bengal, in October 1971, to draw the world's attention to the suffering of war-torn Bangladesh.

The feat also brought a new world record for Nandi, who began swimming at the age of nine through a local competition where he finished first. He went on to take part in long-distance swimming events such as Daudkandi to Narayanganj and Narayanganj to Chandpur.

The former joint-secretary of the Bangladesh Swimming Federation (2003-2006) had been suffering from kidney disease and respiratory complications and travelled to Kolkata for treatment on Nov 5.

He passed away at his sister's residence in the West Bengal capital and his dead body was brought to Dhaka Monday evening by road.

Nandi, never a traditional competitor, preferred to display physical feats of endurance in the water and was honoured with the National Sports Award in 1996.

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