Brojen Das (9 December 1927 – 1 June, 1998) was the first Asian to swim across the English Channel

English Channel

The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...

, and the first person to cross it four times.

Early life

Born in the Kuchiamora village of Bikrampur

Bikrampur

Bikrampur pargana is situated 12 miles south of Dhaka, the modern-day capital of Bangladesh. It lies in the Munshiganj District of Bangladesh. It is a historic region in Bengal. The region is famous for its early Buddhist scholarships and in the later period for its cultural influences...

, Munshiganj District

Munshiganj District

Munshiganj also historically known as Bikrampur is a district in central Bangladesh. It is a part of the Dhaka Division and borders Dhaka District.-Geography:...

 in Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

 (then part of British India

British Raj

British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...

). Brojen Das had his primary education in his native village. He passed matriculation in 1946 from the KL Jubilee High School, Dhaka

Dhaka

Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...

 and Intermediate and Bachelor of Arts from Vidyasagar College

Vidyasagar College

Vidyasagar College , named after Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, is a government-sponsored day and evening college, affiliated to the University of Calcutta in Kolkata, India.-Notable alumni:*Jatindra Nath Das*Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar...

, Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

.

Local

• Champion in 100 meter Freestyle swimming Competition in West Bengal in 1952.
• Champion in East Pakistan in 100, 200, 400 & 1500 meter Freestyle swimming in 1953-1956.
• Champion in Pakistan in 100 & 400 meter Freestyle Swimming in 1955.
• Member of the Pakistan swimming team in 1956 World Olympic Games.

International

• Italy, July 1958, Winner (placed 3rd) in the Capri Island to Naples 33 kilometer long distance Swimming Competition.
• England, August 1958, secured first position among the male competitors in the Billy Butlin’s Channel Crossing Swimming Competition, 39 competitors from 23 nations participated in the competition.
• England, August 1959, successfully completed the Channel Crossing Swimming Competition to from France to England.
• England, September 1959. successfully completed the Channel Swim from England to France.
• England, August 1960, successfully completed the Channel Swim from France to England.
• England, September 1961, crossed the Channel once again from France to England.
• England, September 1961, created world record for the fastest swim across the English Channel from France to England.

Awards

• 1956: Awarded Dhaka University
• 1960: Pride of Performance
  Pride of Performance
  Pride of Performance , is one of the highest civil award given and conferred by the Pakistan Government to Pakistan's citizens in recognition of distinguished merit in the fields of Literature, Arts, Sports, Medicines, and Science for civilians in most particular cases.The announcement of civil...
  
   award from the Pakistan
  Pakistan
  Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
  
   government.
• 1965: Induction into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame
• 1986: Letona Trophy, i.e. King of the Channel
  King of the Channel (swimming)
  The King of The Channel title is bestowed on the man who has successfully completed more swims of the English Channel than any other. The title as well the accompanied Letona Trophy is awarded by the Channel Swimming Association. The title is currently held by Kevin Murphy who has completed 34...
  
   from the Channel Swimming Association of the United Kingdom
• 1976: National Sports Award, Bangladesh
  Bangladesh
  Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
  
  
• 1999: Swadhinata Padak (Independence Award), Bangladesh (posthumous)
• Atish Dipankar Medal
• Gold Medal, Kazi Mahabubullah Trust and Jahanara Jana Kalyan trust

External links

• Website on Brojen Das, maintained by his family
• Article on Brojen Das, Banglapedia
  Banglapedia
  Banglapedia, or the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh, is the first Bangladeshi encyclopedia. It is available in print, CD-ROM format and online, in both Bangla and English. The print version comprises ten 500-page volumes...