Palk Strait swimmer M.Navarathnasamy Statue opening ceremony held
பிரசுரிக்கபட்ட திகதி: 25/03/2015 (புதன்கிழமை)
Palk Strait swimmer Mr..Muruguppillai Navarathnasamy’s statue opening ceremony was held today at Thondamanaru, Srilanka. The memorial statue, which is built at Thondamanaru junction – adjacent to the Thondamanaru lagoon, was declared open by Mr.I.Jeyaseelan, Divisional Secretariat of Point Pedro, at about 1030 hours.
Mr.Ramachandran (elder son of Navarathnasamy), villagers and well wishers participated at the event, which was live telecast by ‘Dan TV’.
Muruguppillai Navarathnasamy was the first person to swim the Palk strait, on this date of 25th March 1954, from Valvettithurai of Jaffna to Point Calimere (well known as Kodiyakarai), of Tamil Nadu.
Navarathnasamy had taken 26 hours 50 minutes to cross 33 nautical mile distance in Palk Strait, on his second attempt.
It is said that during his school days Navarathnasamy learnt from one of his teacher, in Hartley College, Point Pedro, about the astonishing feat of an English man successfully swimming the English Channel, a distance of 25 Nautical miles, which had then germinated in his mind.
Navarathnasamy had made his first attempt to swim across Palk Strait on 15th of March 1954; however it was abandoned in midway due the prevailed bad weather.
However his second attempt on 25.03.1954 was successful, which was witnessed by Mr.C.B.Kumarakulasingam (commissioner of Assize, Jaffna), then parliamentarian for Point Pedro – Mr.T.Ramalingam and the Minister of post Mr.Nalliah, made him as the first person to swim across the Palk strait.
The media of both Srilanka and India had given a very wide coverage of Navarathnasamy’s attempt. Indian Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Srilankan Prime Minister Sir John Kotalawela had congratulated Navarathnasamy for accomplishing his aim.
Having swum across the strait, Navarathnasamy was honoured with a public reception in Jaffna and Colombo by then Jaffna Mayor and then premier Sir John Kotalawela respectively. Taking pride of place was a greeting message from Queen Elizabeth, who had sent him a medal to be worn on the occasion of her coronation.
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