Call it providence or a timely response to a divine call, a man-aged 70 something, suffering from multiple ailments, like anybody of the age-knee pain, asthma and alarming sugar levels, has had a miraculous fresh lease of life.

The magical turnaround has come from swimming, which he took to on a serious competitive note when he was 70. Getting into the mode, at the behest of his club coach, he is now ruling the waters as a ‘Master’ of the pool. And he is all of 80 years! The magical turnaround has come from swimming, which he took to on a serious competitive note when he was 70. Getting into the mode, at the behest of his club coach, he is now ruling the waters as a ‘Master’ of the pool. And he is all of 80 years!

One would be dumbfounded on a first meeting with Om Avatar Seth, because he looks anything but his age. Athletically built and looking fighting fit, he can easily pass off as someone much younger and give the youthful generation a run for its money.

“Ten years back when my knee pain was getting aggravated my doctor adviced me to swim regularly, which was just a pastime in my younger days. On joining Country Club, which is nearer to my house, the coach Sunil was so impressed with my technique and strokes that he exhorted me to participate in the state-level Masters championship.

Heeding the advice, I subsequently came under the tutelage of GHMC Secunderabad pool administrator, Umesh. It brought me instant success as I won a gold medal on my competitive debut in the 50-metre freestyle event” reminiscences Seth with a twinkle in his eyes.

This saw him getting selected for the national aquatic meet in Rajkot where he won a silver medal. There has been no looking back for the ‘rejuvenated and healthy’ swimmer, who has an impressive haul of 35 medals in various categories in the decade since.

He is in the news because in the latest achievement, he won two gold medals besides a silver medal in the National Aquatic Championship that was held recently in Bhopal.

‘My aim is to double the tally in the years ahead,’ proclaims Seth with a seriousness, which comes laced with a flamboyant determination that obviously takes root from laughing away his worries early morning at KBR Park and practicing the Chinese martial art, Tai Chi.

Somewhere, one gets the feeling that the steely resolve to raise the bar and strive to excel, and achieve, has something to do with his employment that has been associated with steel all through his career. After all, the Amritsar native and Hyderabad-settled Seth distinguished himself as an engineer with the Rourkela Steel Plant.

In a way, being well-built, sport was ingrained in him. He was captain of the basketball team at Banaras Hindu University, from where he graduated. Later, he kept himself in physical shape by playing table tennis and badminton in Rourkela, recalls the man for all seasons.

Like many other State-mates, he was also felicitated by the Sports Authority of Telangana State (SATS) on returning from Bhopal. Although jovial for most part of the interaction, he suddenly turned sombre when talking of honouring the 65+sportspersons.

Seth points out that ‘unlike in New Delhi and Haryana where our medal winning counterparts are given financial incentives, here there is nothing of the sort. I am perhaps in an economically sound situation but not many in my category enjoy such comforts. They need to be provided some emoluments because in our own humble way even we bring laurels to the State.”

He has a point there but then these utterances will invariably fall on deaf ears because the flaw is in the system. For now, Seth has already set his sights on bigger conquests. His next target is to ‘do well in the Masters World Championship and elevate India’s stature. I know that the pools for the ultimate honours are larger and more challenging than the ones I practise on.

In the next five to six months, I will train seriously in bigger pools and be World Championship-ready by increasing speed and improve upon my timing. Thankfully, my stamina has improved and so has my health. This has helped me to win medals in 200 and 400mts competitions.’

On what it takes to be in the best of fitness, his mantra is pretty simple, although the message has immense potential and spells magic. “There is nothing like young or old. It’s the way we feel. One should always keep the energy levels high. If all senior citizens take to one sports activity or the other they can save a lot on medical bills. More than anything else, the comfort zone will ensure peace of mind”.

By Subhash Chandra