How  Brojen  Das  Did  It?

By Yehia Syed  (Our London Correspondent)

Dawn  2  September 1958

Brojen Das plans return swim

London, Sept 1: Brojen Das of Pakistan, who came second in the last week’s International Cross-Channel swimming race from France to Britain, has decided to attempt a return swim from Britain to France this month. He told a London Press correspondent that he would most probably make the attempt on Sept 22.

  “ I am waiting for permission from Pakistan’s Cross Channel Committee before completing final arrangements.”

  The return swim would start from St. Margaret’s Bay, five miles north-east of Dover, and end some 22 miles across the English Channel in the Cape Griz-Nez area of the French coast. Variable tides, however, can double the distance to be swum.

 “I have been in the sea again this week to relax my body,” Das said, “but I will not do any more swimming for another three or four days. I feel fit enough already to make the return crossing.”

If successful, Das will be the first man to swim the Channel both ways in the same year. 

  This was Brojen’s pilot boat, fitted with a small transmitter and with a small transmitter and with arrangement for hot and cold milk, fruit juice and other food for swimmers. Ahead of this motorboat, there was another small boat, which followed Brojen only a few feet away from him. From this boat orange juice and glucose tablets were-handed over to Brojen.

BROJEN MAKES IT

  It was five minutes past five. The Dover sky had cleared and the sun had come up. I saw Brojen dragging himself on to the shore at the bottom of the white Dover cliff. He had made it.

   He was immediately picked up and transferred into the bigger boat. Brojen was the first man to touch the shore. There was loud shore. There was loud cheering at the “Press Room”, I was told later, when the news was announced.

 I talked to Brojen when he was tired and all cramped. He told me that he had felt sea sick three times and had cramps twice. He also felt dizzy couple of times. He only wanted to rest for full two days. He even could not talk properly.

  His manager Mr. Mohsin told me later that at 4.30 a.m. they had lost contact with Brojen for few minutes in the dark; but soon he was found.

   Brojen Das has stamina to stay in water for 48 hours, but not in the cold water as the Cannel was that day. Brojan told me that after just a few minutes he became so immune to the coldness of the water that it didn’t bother him at all. He practiced here at Dover for the race only 2 to 3 hours a day. Once a week, he used to swim for about 5 hours.

TURK DISQUALIFIED

  When I was returning to the shore after seeing Brojen, I saw Turkey’s Ismen getting into the mouth of the Dover Harbor. People from his boat were shouting to him to change course. He was struggling against the tide. I later learnt that Ismen was disqualified as he climbed the steps of the eastern wall of the harbor instead of continuing half a mile to the beach.

London , (By airmail):

“Pakistan Zindabad” Brojen Das Zindabad shouted over a dozen people in my motor boat when we saw Brojen Das exhausted and tired after swimming for 14 hours and 25 minutes, struggling hard to touch the white cliff of Dover just outside Dover Harbor.

   My motorboat, given me by the organizer of the cross-Channel swimming race, Messrs Butlin Holiday Ltd., was only 25 yards from Brojen Das. I saw him digging his hand into the sand and collecting a fistful and then dragging himself to the shore.

  Then he was helped by the men who were followed him since five rest 2 on Saturday morning from Griz – Nez. It was from here on the French coast that the race had started 14 hours and 25 minutes ago.

  From the place where Brojen touched at Dover, a sheer, 500 feet white cliff rose from the sea like a mighty wall.

  On the top of the cliff, I could see tiny dots, holiday-makers waving their hands. That was only genuine welcome Brojen got from sports minded Britons.

  When the wireless ship ‘Britannia,’ watching the progress of each of the 30 competitors called out that Brojen is half a mile from the shore, an announcement was made at the lounge of Coach Hotel where the press was lodged to cover the race, that for reporters and cameramen covering the race, a motor boat is awaiting to receive Brojen Das.

  All the English reporters declined to go and meet him I was the only pressman to go with the officials’ party. The same attitude was reflected in the TV and radio and news – papers reports the next day.

  Nowhere a mention was made in the Press here that Brojen Das was the first man to complete the race. He was dismissed in just few words! This was the attitude of the British Press.

  If Brojen was from this country and won as he did, I can imagine him being splashed all over the front pages of the paper over here. But Brojen was a Pakistani and he beat the English contestant, Ronald Tarr, (21) by full 47 minutes. Begad, Sir, Col. Blimp was blushing.

  I reached Dover harbor at 15 pm. from London to cover the race. At the headquarters which was located in a glass and wood hotel just across the pier, the organizers had fitted in a  wireless transmitter by which the “Press Room” was in constant touch with wireless ship in the Channel following the minute-to –minute progress of each of the 30 participants. 16 countries participated the race.

  When I reached the pressroom, I saw on the chart that there were still 24 swimmers in the race struggling hard to get to the Dover shore. Six had given up due to various reasons.

  Brojen Das was making fine progress, I was told. On reaching the Press Room, I requested, over the wireless transmitter, ‘Britannia’ to give me some latest news about Brojen Das.

PAKISTAN & TURKEY

   ‘Britannia’ (this was not the same ship which is used by the Queen on her tours) obliged me. Brojen Das, she told me, was three miles off the coast of England. He was in high spirit and his progress till then was very good. Britannia also told me that No. 25 (each swimmer went with a number and that number was plotted in a chart kept in the “Press Room” showing minute to minute, but approximately positioning of each swimmer along with the position of 

the wireless ships, of which there were three in all. Brojen Das’ No. was 19) that was Haldun Ismen of Turkey and Brojen Das No. 19 were having a neck and neck race. And as it is likely they might finish together or close enough. The two tiny flags – No. 25 and 19 – were plotted on the map of the Press Room very close some three miles from the Dover coast.

THE GIRL, MAKES IT 

  I cabled my first “take” of the “Morning News” soon after suggesting that Brojen Das might “make it” after all.

By two-thirty there was fresh activity in the Press Room. 21 out of 30 swimmers had dropped out due to various reasons, mostly due to sheer exhaustion.

  Out of the 30 only one, Miss Greta Anderson, aged 31 of the United States, had touched the Dover shore at South Foreland. She did it for the second year in succession, cutting one hour 41 minutes from the existing women’s record. Her time was 11 hours one minute.

  While the British Press swarmed round exhausted, greased and goggled Miss Anderson and watched her receiving 1000 guineas trophy for being the first to land and to get ₤500 for being the first women to reach Dover shore, I got busy with Brojen’s progress. Only eight were in the water by then. Brojen and Ismen of Turkey were the only two swimmers that mattered then. The rest reported, “missing”.

BROJEN INCHES FORWARD

  At 3 pm. each afternoon the tide turns near Dover. And it is difficult to swim across the current. Competitors who had by now dropped out of the race had all assembled into the Press Room listening to the “progress report”, transmitted by ‘Britannia’. The general opinion was that if Brojen can cut across the current, he would make it, otherwise he would be swept away by the strong English Channel current. This was the most exciting moment in the race. Everybody had forgotten all the rest - 4 by now – excluding Brojen and Ismen.

  Brojen Das, though tired, hungry and exhausted inched his way against the strong currents towards the English shore, ‘Britannia’ transmitted.

  Brojen Das’ two good Bharati friends, Mehir Sen, Bar-at-Law who couldn’t complete the race in three attempts, and Mr. Mitra were as eager to see him win as I was.   I must say that Mr. Sen showed a sportsman’s spirit in sinking all national rivalry and feeling as if he himself was participating in the race.

  Minutes seemed to drag on. The atmosphere in the room was tense and expectant. Nobody spoke anything, though the room was overcrowded. Only the muffled blaring of the transmitted voice from ‘Britannia,’ giving the minute to minute progress of No. 19 Brojen Das, filled the hushed room.

ONLY HALF A MILE

  The silence was broken when ‘Britannia’ announced: “Brojen Das is only half a mile now from the Dover coast, arrange to receive him at the shore should now be made. He is expected to touch shore outside Dover harbor on the left side of the pier. Will give you exact place of landing late. Over….”

  An announcement went over the loudspeaker for reporters and cameramen who wished to go on the motor launch to receive Brojen Das, Nobody came forward except me. Along with a dozen fellows, not pressmen, I got into the motorboat and speeded towards struggling Brojen Das.

PAKISTANI FLAG

  When the swimmers were within a mile of the shore they were kept in touch with helicopters, which flew sorties of movie cameramen and others.

  Within five minutes we saw a Pakistani flag fluttering from a small motorboat slowly ahead of us.

Some minutes with Brojen Das

The  Asian  Games  Cinderella

By  Izharul  Hasan  Burney

  It was a fateful October evening when a dejected dark complexioned young man burst into tears as he helplessly saw the last of his ambitious structures of pride swept away. A keen swimmer was left out of the Pakistan team, which participated in the Tokyo Games.

  This was 27-years-old Brojen Das who 10 months after this fateful evening became Pakistan’s national hero by winning the English Channel first prize (Men’s) on Aug 23 last year – and the honor of being the first ever Asian to accomplish this feat in his maiden attempt.

  “Sheer disappointment at my exclusion from the swimming teams which represent Pakistan first at Melbourne Olympics (1956) and then at Tokyo Games (1958) infused in me the determination to attempt Channel (crossing),” told Brojen to his admirers on his return from England.

  Only a week earlier when the Asian Games team was selected he had swum 60 miles in the Dacca swimming pool on Aug 17 that year in 15 hrs 28 minutes; while previously he had pocketed several other honors including those in competitions across the border.

  “And yet when I was refused a place in the Pakistan contingent for the Asian Games, I lost nerves and could not help weeping as I unsuccessfully appealed to people for justice,” he told those who went to see him in the Hotel Metropole where he stayed on return from his first successful trip abroad. “For a moment,” Brojen said, “I thought I should abandon that all…. Then some unexplained inspiration advocated: Why not attempt the Channel,” he added.

First Experience

   Born in 1931 in village Bikrampur, Dacca district, Brojen is the youngest of his one brother and a sister; his father running a small business.

  Brojen became water-crazy when still a codling. It was at the age of four, he told me, when he first dived into water, accidentally though. “We had a water-crazy servant, one fine morning in cloudy weather he took me along to the tank behind the cottage and got busy with his sport. A little later, however, he left me with the tackle as he was recalled by someone in the house.”

  “A big fish was trapped, She jumped up and down into the water to escape. A big tussle ensued as I refused to abandon the tackle. But the fish was bigger enough to drag me into the tank water coming upto my waist.” Brojen continued. “ And though crying for help,” he went on “I refused to give up. Mother rushed up to me and rescued. Of course with the fish, he smiled replied to my query.   This was the beginning of Brojen’s career as a swimmer for he has been so far been in the water for over 4,000 hours covering not less than a thousand miles. “It should be in four figures,” he told me.

First Contest

   Brojen attempted his long distance swimming when he competed in the Ganges crossing competition, from Hoogli to Bagh Bazar a distance of about seven miles, in 1954. Even a third position in this first attempt was no joke, for he had finished ahead of several favorites.

   The period between 1953 and 1956 is full of Brojen’s record smashing performances when he represented Dacca University in the Inter-University Swimming Championships. East Pakistan in the National Championship and Dacca in East Pakistan championships.

The Pakistan High Commissioner gave reception on Sept 8 1958 for Brojen Das the Pakistani swimmer who came second in the Butlin cross-Channel swim. Photo shows (L to R) Brojen Das, the High Commissioner for Pakistan in UK, and Mr. Mohsin, manager of the swimmer.

In the 1953 National Championship at Lahore he finished second in 100 meters, stood first in 200, 400 and 1500 meters in 1954 East Pakistan Championships and bettered national record in 100 meters clocking 1: 06 minutes in Pakistan Championships at Dacca next year, besides taking first place in 400 meters free style.

  Representing Dacca University in Inter-University meet at “PNS Dilawar”  in 1956 he went on to smash all previous records in 100 yards, 400 and 1500 yards freestyle with a timing of 59 secs, 4: 55.5 and 19: 55 mts, respectively, to help Dacca University to claim the title for the first time since independence. In additions, he also set up a new provincial record the same year in 200 meters (2: 30 mts) and also finished first in 400 meters freestyle.

Training

   So when he fell out of the Pakistan contingent, Brojen sought assistance from Mr. S. A. Mohsin to guide him for the Channel crossing. I told him (Brojen) tanks are not rivers, and rivers are not the Channel. It requires hard work endurance, patience – everything that is not easy,” Mohsin said as Brojen looked at. The Channel Crossing Committee was formed soon after and Brojen took up the necessary training.

  He swam 26 miles in 15 hours 28 minutes on Aug 16, 1957, and about 60 miles in 48 hours, two months later, in the Dacca swimming pool. On March 28 last year he undertook the crossing of five East Pakistan rivers – the Shitalakha, the Burhi Ganga, the Dholyshwari the Padma and the Meghna – all in spate, a distance of about 43 miles. He almost did it. But when only two miles from his destination Chandpur, Brojen was persuaded by a select gatheringss, including the former East Pakistan Chief Minister, Mr. Ataur Rehman Khan, to abandon the bid as the escort boats had overturned in the storm. Soon after reaching London on May 30, Brojen shifted to Dover and resumed practice in Channel’s chilly waters. And then he contested the Capri-Naples 33-kilometer race in Italy on July 27 and struck his first success overseas by finishing third in 13 hours 8 minutes. “This provided me with a wonderful experience,” Brojen said – and ‘the confidence he badly needed before plunging for the Channel crossing,” manager Mohsin added.

  Five days before the race Brojen met his first bad luck. He had got a cramp, doctors advised him to keep out: but he quickly recovered and in the meantime the 24-hour postponement in the start of the race, gave him further time to fully recuperate.

Race Starts On Saturday, Aug 23, at 2-30 a.m. in the shadow of darkness the race started. Brojen took a commanding position right from the start and raced neck and neck with the US and Turkish competitors.  

   Then at the end of the first lap the escort boat crashed. He was pushed 45 minutes behind Ms Greta Anderson who was followed by the Turk, and wasted more time and stamina struggling against the stream of which Greta escaped.

    Brojen’s pilot, 55-years-old Captain Hatchingson, saw the far ahead Turk abandoning, sensed the trouble tides and diverted his swimmers to another though longer route. Brojen had escaped disaster, which had overtaken the Turk. Greta was miles ahead of the Pakistani and finished in favorable conditions with effortless ease. But not Brojen, who now also suffered from cramps for second time. Nevertheless he continued and proceeded at snails speed as the tide continued to push him deep.

  When only 50 yards away the strongest tide swept him into the sea again. “I nearly collapsed. I was very tired……helpless. “I would not give up…..let people take me out collapsed….I would not abandon myself.”

Triumph   

  The Channel was crossed. He touched the sand but never knew he had done it. He had collapsed after all.

   Brojen did not believe at first when he told while taking a hot-water bath of his winning the 500 pounds cash prize for winning the race. Then he exclaimed: “Thanks God. It is all due to him and the good wishes of my countrymen”.

  A word about Captain Hatchingson whom Brojen classed among one of the best pilots Britan had produced. For Hatchingson it was the first occasion that his swimmer had won. Consequently he has become one of the most sought-for pilot in England.

  He has already received many offers for next year’s competition. But Captain Hatchingson has preferred to go with Brojen even for a small remuneration when he competes again this year.

 Though Brojen did not get a fair coverage in the British Press, he in keeping with the Pakistani tradition did not grudge making his humble contribution towards the Journalists’ welfare Fund of Great Britain.

  When he brought a Hillman out of the 500-pound cash prize the automakers wanted to use his photograph for publicity in return for a reasonable money. Brojen asked the makers to contribute that amount to the said welfare fund.

WHAT  IT  MEANS  TO  SWIM  THE CHANNEL?

By YEHIA SYED

London

 his rash remark back. For swimming in the Channel is no hoax. It requires grit, stamina, determination and something more, call it patriotism or what you will, much more and in far greater degree than playing hockey!

   A faint twinkling light in the darkness of nothing came upon the horizon. That was Cap Griz-Nez, where Brojen Das along with the Secretary Channel Swimming Mr. J. U. Wood was waiting for us. We anchored away from shore.

  An anchored boat is more unstable than when it’s moving, lying on the deck, as I couldn’t stand up at all, I could see that tiny light on the French coast disappearing as my boat rocked from side to side. A wind had started by that time, quite strong wind and we were in the mid of a current found on the French coast.

  A small dingy was lowered and it was a feat, which I couldn’t do, to keep it level with our rocking and rolling boat for Manager Mohammad Ali with all his stuff, Cameraman Woldrof to get into, they managed without being thrown into the water.

  Then we waited patiently. It seemed like hours. The only sign of life was the flickering light in the dark of nothingness. I closed my eyes. It was beginning to get very chilly and in spite of two socks and two overcoats and a scarf round my ears and over my head I felt cold.

  I opened my eyes when I heard shouts coming out of nothingness. Even that tiny light on the shore had gone. It was our dingy, I was told, coming back. “Where is the swimmer?” we shouted back to make us heard above the roar of the waves and howling wind. No answer came back Only a flash of a torch. The dingy inched its way riding on the mighty waves. We pulled the people overboard. The first to come in was Brojen Das!

  Hurriedly he explained that due to the gale, which had started blowing, quite suddenly, soon after midnight, he was advised to give up the swim. He explained that it was not a question of just crossing the Channel, which he would have done; it was for breaking the 10 hours 50 minutes record that he was after. Better luck next time.

BACK JOURNEY

  The back journey, as always, was boring, very uncomfortable more because of the cold and icy wind. More and more of us (thank God I was saved) were sea-sick and lay exhausted, wrapped into blankets on the open deck of the rocking boat. Mohammad Ali all the way acted a Nightingale in spite of the gale that raged around us. By 3 a.m. we were back into the harbor, which was dead as the night and the stillness only broken by the frustrating shrieks of the sea gulls!

     “Channel swimming has become a hoax” said a colleague of mine toying with his glass filled with sherry, “ and to crown all is the Pakistani team which is here” I looked first at him amazed, then at the glass he was holding. For he himself, in his time, was a hokey player of Olympics status and had represented his country at Olympics a few times.

  I would have forgiven my colleague and forgotten his rather rash remarks putting the blame on that glass had I not the misfortune on the night of July 26^th to be in an extremely rocking, shaking and rolling fishing vessel in mid-channel at midnight. I was on the supply launch “Fair Chance” (piloted by Capt. Reed) which was to act as Brojen Das’s pilot that night when he was to set out from French coast to break the world record for the Channel swim from that end of 10 hours and 50 minutes set up in 1950 by an Egyptian Abdel Hekim.

  Before I left my Fleet Street office the same afternoon had taken the weather forecast from the weather office in London operating in the Strait of Dover that night. The report was that it is going to be fine and I had merrily booked a ticket  for Dover Priory and was of full excitement to watch and see for myself how a channel swim is done. I had no idea I was in for a shock not to mention the excitement!

  On the launch with me were two prospective channel swimmer, one was Ahsanullah from East Pakistan making his first trip across the channel to get the “feel “ of the channel, one British girl swimmer who has swam the channel thrice before in Butlin’s Race, a representative of British Movietone complete with camera and flares to preserve the record-breaking swim for posterity, Brojen’s Manager Mohammad Ali (perhaps the most thorough ’quarter master’ I’ve seen) and one official observer from Channel Association.

  The moment we left the cloistered clam of the Dover harbor and came into the Channel none of us, except the boat hands could keep standing on the deck. We could only sit on the deck (with no covers on) and crawled if we wanted to move about. At first I enjoyed the situation thinking it to be extremely funny! But the fun part soon gave way to apprehension and ever fears, when the light fishing boat started rocking like a flimsy crock on the tidal waves of the open Channel.

  With the rocking people started feeling sick. Even the entire lot of sea-sickness tablets which ‘quarter master’ Mohammad Ali had brought in three plentiful lots could not stop it. It was agonizing to see people, even the swimmers getting sick from the very pit of their stomach. I do not know how I escaped this misery and torture. I felt fine and even would have enjoyed the sun set scene from the mid - Channel if I was not so scared of being blown off the deck into the sea! I do not know to swim even in a swimming pool.

INKY DARKNESS

  As night fell, an inky darkness engulfed

our lone boat. The only light we could see were from the big cargo boats peddling their way to French Coast, to Holland, or to North Sea. The tiny green and red light on the either side of our fishing boat, which was swinging like a swing in a play ground looked like a rear lights in a distant car! A few stars could manage to shine their way through the huge dark chunks of threatening clouds. They would have looked very romantic had I been not in a boat, which was like a feather on the waves.

  Ahsanullah started to sing Bhatiali, Nag (from India) joined. I tried to keep the beat from them. A huge tidal wave struck the side of our boat , and we were soaked to the skin. No body, after that dared to open his mouth!

“Eh! Scared?” Asked the captain of the boat in a near yell voice to keep it audible above the roar of the waves and winds from his cabin, “oh! This is nothing compared to what we had last year when Brojen took part in Butlin’s Race. Oh! A few of the boats then capsized, some of us were pulled out of water soaked  to the skin. This is just a child’s play.”

His sentence was drowned in the noise of a huge wave that leaped at our small boat from the side. The Captain concentrated on his wheel as our “Fair Chance” rode on the top of the serf like straw. I was drenched badly this time and I realized that the water is very cold. It was 61 deg F that night. During his practice swim Brojen had complained to me that this year the Channel water is much colder than it was in the same month either in 1958 or ’59.

SHEER MADNESS

  PERHAPS this wave proved too much for the patience of one of the patience of one of the prospective channel swimmer who was with me that night. He shouted in nervousness: “Swimming in condition like this? It’s nothing but sheer madness!”

  In the dim light of our boat which acted as a guide to other vessels in the Channel. I saw the face of the Captain and that British girl swimmer, three times winner in Butlin’s Race wrinkled into a smile. I caught the girl’s lips saying: ‘Chicken!’.

  Not long ago, I thought, Dr. Roger Baddister, the first man in the world to run the mile in under four minutes, while addressing a gathering of Doctors at a British Medical Association meeting had said that a normal human being can only stay in the Channel waters for just FIVE hours. Those, he had said, who can and do stay longer than that, give a practical proof of human endurance. Nothing else demand so much of human endurance, as Channel swimming does he had said.

  I wished my colleague with the sherry glass would be with me now. I’m sure he would have gladly taken

BROJEN SWIMS CHANNEL FOR 5 TH TIME

From: YEHIA SYED

(Morning News Service)

London, Sept 10: Brojen Das has done it again – the fifth time – thus creating an all time world record, which will take some doing to break it, by swimming English Channel yesterday morning in 11 hours 48 minutes.

  He touched Kentish Cost at Langston Steps just outside Dover harbor. He had entered the Channel on Friday night at Cap Gris Nez on the French coast. Although Brojen failed to beat world record set up by an Egyptian in 1950 by 58 minutes but in crossing Channel in 11 hours 48 minutes he has not only bettered his own previous four timings from either side but his latest timing is also fifth among best timings ever achieved by swimmer in crossing Channel from either side including record timing of 10 hours 50 minutes.

   Brojen by his five crossings since 1958, and without ever failing or giving up once, has made even hard-hearted people here who do not clap hard enough if non-Englishman does a thing to acknowledge this feat. When Brojen was inching his way just after sunrise to reach shingled shore of Kent I saw from boat, which had been crawling with Brojen since he started the swim. A crowd of journalists watched him touch shore near the Dover harbor wall.

The moment they saw him touch shore they motored back to their office in Dover town and to announce the news first was the BBC home service, which mentioned in full details the feat of Brojen swimming channel five times in just five attempts. The BBC repeated this item in all their morning bulletins.

  And before his manager – Mohammed Ali, could degrease Brojen in his hotel bathroom, BBC-TV cameramen were at bathroom door to take his film for inclusion in the evening BBC-TV news. They filmed Brojen dressed in pyjamas getting into his bed while his efficient manager Mohammed Ali handing him glass of hot milk. Some photographs in his hotel bedroom for inclusion in Sunday papers.

   I have just returned to London after coming to Dover from Cap Gris Nez in France. As I have covered all Brojen’s swims since 1958 up to date and from his accompanying boat which carries official observer manager and supply for swimmer. I can safely say that Friday night’s swimming condition in which Brojen Das swam was ideal. Sea was calm as glass, there was no wind practically and it was not very cold either. If Brojen was not attacked with very severe sea-sickness not

once but four times during swim he would have broken world record by at least 50 minutes, if not more. After each sickness his speed fell down and he wasted time to regain his speed and rhythm. The night was clear and starry but very dark and he swam most part of Channel in pitch darkness, which explains his sea sickness.

  Since the season started this year only six persons, including three British girls one Spanish girl and one Indian swimmer, could succeed. Brojen is sixth and his timing is the best of all. Not less than 12 swimmers have uptill now failed

   Brojen was too tired to talk to me before I left for London but I will not be surprised if he decides to complete his half dozen time swim of the Channel this season before returning home. In Dover, where he is very well known, people have already started saying and the last man to tell me this was my taxi driver who ran me down to Dover station that they were convinced from the progress Brojen has shown in all his five crossing that he will surely break world record in his sixth swim I had no heart to wake Brojen up to confirm this before taking train to London. Dover people are happy to hear of Brojen’s success.

Observer November 19 1961

Observer November 23 , 1961

The Morning News November 1961

Hero’s Reception Awaits Brojen in Karachi

BROJEN DAS IN KARACHI

KSA RECEPTION FOR BROJEN DAS

KARACHI, Nov 18: Pakistan Marathon swimmer, Brojen Das, who created the English Channel swim record last month is due to arrive here from Geneva by PIA in the small hours of November 22.

  Brojen who now holds two record of the English Channel left London this week and is at present in Europe. He will board a PIA plane on November 21 from Geneva and will reach Karachi at 4 a.m. on November 22. He will be accorded a hero’s welcome by the various sports organizations of Karachi on his return home.

  The Karachi Sportsmen Association will hold a reception to felicitate brojen Das. A number of other programmes have been chalked out for Brojen Das.   

APP

Karachi Nov 22: Pakistan’s ace swimmer, Brojen Das returned here in the small hours of this morning from England by PIA after his record – breaking English Channel swim.

(By Our Sport Reporter)

The Karachi swimming association yesterday gave a reception in honor of Pakistan’s English Channel first prize (men’s) winner Brojen Das, at the Beach Luxury Hotel.

Among those attended the reception were: Mr. B. K. Das, central Minister for Education, Khawaja Salahuddin Mahmood and Mr. Abdul Hafeez Kardar.

   Speaking on the occasion, Brojen’s manager, Mr. S. A. Mohsin said there was lot of undiscovered talent in this country, and that it was the duty of the Government to provide facilities in this direction.

   Earlier, Prof. Anwar Chaudhury welcomed Mr. Brojen Das on behalf of the Association. In his address of welcome he pointed out that it was a matter of shame for all concerned that there was not a single swimming pool in Karachi for use of the general public.