13 Year Old Girl Swims From Sri Lanka To Tamil Nadu
Update: 2022-03-21 11:11 IST
Jiya Rai along with TN DGP, Sylendra Babu, at Dhanushkodi after completing a swim of 28.5 km in 13 hours.
Jiya Rai, a 13-year-old autistic girl from Mumbai, swam 28.5 kilometres in 13 hours five minutes from Sri Lanka's Talaimannar to Arichalmunai in Tamil Nadu's Dhanushkodi, and received global acclaim. The girl, who completed the massive distance is the daughter of a Navy officer, reported The Hindu.
Jiya Rai set out on her journey at 4.22 a.m. on Sunday, March 20, after obtaining permission from Sri Lankan and Indian authorities. She arrived in Arichalmunai at 5.32 p.m.
At the Indian shore, she was greeted by a big crowd led by Tamil Nadu Director General of Police C. Sylendra Babu.
Sailendra Babu praised her after Jiya completed the swimming. He also praised Madhan Rai, her father, and mother Regina Rai for motivating their child. He said that sea snakes, milk sharks, and jellyfish abound in this sea. Furthermore, in these waters, individuals can't even predict the current, and Jiya Rai still went through it, which should be commended.
The DGP, a swimmer who had just completed a similar accomplishment with his squad in the Palk Straits, informed reporters that Ms. Jiya Rai had brought honour to the country by swimming from Sri Lanka to Indian seas.
Despite the fact that many people had conquered Mt. Everest, only a few had undertaken a swimming adventure, he explained. He expressed his congratulations to the swimmer, as open water swimming was a significant accomplishment.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Navy aided Jiya Rai by providing protection until she reached the international maritime border, where the Indian coast guard took over. She has joined a small group of swimmers who have swum from Sri Lanka to Dhanushkodi, including Kutraleeswaran (1994), R Jai Jaswanth (2019), Edi Hu of the United States (2020), Shyamala Koli of Telangana (2021), and others.
She has been hailed by a large number of tourists who regarded her as a role model for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder.