While girls her age might think of dates, makeup and shopping, 25-year-old Bhakti Sharma’s got ice and dangerous marine life on her mind, having swum in the freezing waters of the Antarctic this January, and that too, in a world record-breaking time. She holds the title of World Open Water Swimmer — clocking 1.4 miles in 41.14 minutes. It’s Mothers Day today and Bhakti says her win has made her mother Leena Sharma’s dream come true. A National medal-winning swimmer in her time, Leena is also Bhakti’s coach and the swim champ admits, “I feel satisfied as my world record is more like my gift to her today. I always used to say she’s the strictest mother ever, but I now realise the value of that even more — it is she who brought me to where I am. She’s been through thick and thin with me and I guess I should do much more than just take her for dinner today. Mom couldn’t swim much due to familial and financial issues and I think I’ve fulfilled my mother’s dream,” says Bhakti.  They are also the first mother-daughter team to swim the English Channel.  

Bhakti Sharma