| Swimmer Anukul Shenoy balanced sports and studies throughout his SSC year and excelled in both
 | | Anukul shows off his winnings with his dad |
A week after the SSC results were declared, 15-year-old Anukul Shenoy, a Mulund resident and national swimmer, learnt that he had topped the Board in the sports category.
A swimmer since he was 10, Shenoy represented both the state and country in various tournaments and is the recipient of many awards.
Inspired by his father Taranth Shenoy, a national swimming champion (see box to read more on his father) who was born deaf, mute and partially blind, Anukul secured 594 marks out of 650 (91.38 per cent.)
The family was not aware of his rank when Anukul applied for the science stream at the Kelkar College. It was while going through newspapers that his mother Sarojini, who works with a private shipping company, learnt about another student who had secured 25 grace marks under the sports category.
 | | A photo from their early training years | The Shenoys decided to visit the Vashi board office and submit the original marksheet with relevant state level sports certificate. And to their surprise on Friday evening the SSC board issued a fresh marksheet to Anukul, with a grace of 25 marks added to his grand total. Shenoy now scores 619 marks out of 650; this is higher than the official state topper.
However board officials clarified to the Shenoys that Anukul cannot be declared the state topper, because the extra marks he’d received were grace marks. But it can be said that he has topped the sports category.
According to his parents, Anukul was always good in studies.
Until class 8, most of his time was spent in swimming practice and attending various tournaments across the state and country. But from June 2005, the municipal swimming pool in Mulund, popularly known as Kalidas swimming pool, was shut for repairs for over two years and luckily this period was utilised by him to concentrate on studies.
Later, during his SSC exams, Anukul studied six hours a day. In fact, he even attended a swimming tournament during that time. He actually started studying in earnest from December.
Revealing the secret behind his success, Anukul says, “Most of my syllabus was completed in tutorial classes and I had to just do the revisions. I always hoped to get above 90 per cent, but am happy with the new result.”
Anukul aims to do better in HSC; he wants to break his own record of scoring 95.23 per cent. He aims to be an engineer and also wants to continue swimming.
His advice to fellow students: “Do not panic, study hard and you will get the result.”
An emotional and overwhelmed Sarojini says, “I have no word to express my feelings. I am proud of both father and son.”
Meanwhile, his school has decided to felicitate Anukul on August 15. Annie Thomas, Principal of Sharon English high school. Thomas said, “The school is happy with Anukul’s result. I appreciate the step taken by the Board in recognising his talent and rewarding it with bonus marks under the sports quota.” Anukul’s father Taranath Narayan Shenoy (45) was born deaf, mute and partially blind. He is employed as an office superintendent with Central Railways. He is a recipient of Padma Shree, Arjuna Award and Chhatrapati Shivaji Award for Swimming.
He has swum across the English Channel thrice, from 1983 to 1985. English Channel Authorities declared him the ‘fastest handicapped swimmer of the English Channel in the world’. He has won the Van Audenaerde special award from the English Channel swimming Association, England.
Taranath is the first deaf person to cross the Palk Strait, Suez Canal and Nile River in Egypt, Manhattan Island, Catalina Channel and Atlantic Ocean (USA), the Straits of Gibraltar (Spain), the Strait of Dardanelles (Turkey), the Cook Strait (New Zealand).
Says Taranath, “My future plan is to swim the 12 seas – when I will swim across all the major seas of the world from one continent to other or one country to other.” |
