Meet Murlikant Petkar: The athlete who inspired Kartik Aaryan’s Chandu Champion and Sushant Singh Rajput

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It was almost impossible to curb his limitations, as he walked into the Boys Battalion of the Indian Army in Pune with little-to-nothing as personal property. He had a natural gift for boxing, moving up the ranks and getting the national title in 1965. Residing in Thergaon, Pune, in a quaint location with his son Arjun, his spouse and kids, Petkar lives a life of complete simplicity. His enthusiasm for revisiting the past is matched by his friendliness to The Field’s crew who sat down with him for a trip down memory lane. Kabir Khan has likely touched upon Petkar’s disappointment with the government as the trailer shows an aged Kartik Aaryan laying out his medals and demanding to file a case against the President of India. He soon made waves in competitions and was selected to represent India internationally.

Murlikant went on to participate in the 1968 Paralympics and reached the finals in javelin throw and slalom racing along with bagging a gold in the 1972 games. He also clinched a gold medal at the 1970 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games at Edinburgh, Scotland. The era was replete with a lack of infrastructural support for para athletes, but Murlikant chose to persevere no matter what. “There was not much support for persons with disabilities in the society but we continued to work hard and participate in events as we wanted to prove that we were capable of representing the country and winning medals.

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  • On returning to his base in Secunderabad, his commandant arranged for him a visit to Jammu and Kashmir as a reward for his brilliant performance.

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  • His remarkable resilience and athletic ability serve as a true inspiration.

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  • His enthusiasm for revisiting the past is matched by his friendliness to The Field’s crew who sat down with him for a trip down memory lane.

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  • Murlikant Petkar is not just India’s first Paralympic gold medalist but a true trailblazer who overcame immense personal challenges to achieve global success.

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  • India’s first Paralympic Gold Medalist 🏅, on being honored with the prestigious Arjuna Award (Lifetime) by the Sports Ministry of India.

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  • His world record time of 37.33 seconds in the 50-meter freestyle, though the category is no longer recognised, remains unbeaten.

Multi-faceted in every sense of the term, Murlikant Petkar started off pursuing his first love, boxing. Preparation was a long and demanding process, but his determination never faltered. „Fear has no place in a soldier’s life,“ Petkar says, in an interview with The Economic Times. „I never felt any fear. I wanted to fight for my country and do something I could be proud of.“

Story of Murlikant Petkar A war hero & India’s First Paralympic Gold Medalist

Training nearly every day for the next four years, Murlikant Petkar was once again chosen to be part of the squad India fielded for the Paralympics, this time held in Heidelberg, Germany. With poor coordination, the operation failed, but it also sparked the biggest war India had seen since Independence 18 years prior. The Indo-Pakistan war of 1965 saw India launch a full-scale military attack in retaliation. It was the world’s largest tank battle since the Second World War, and saw nearly 3000 Indian casualties.

Looking back, he acknowledges the challenges he faced but emphasizes the importance of perseverance. „In India, sport for the handicapped or the disabled wasn’t much known then and it wasn’t easy,“ he says. Today, Petkar is an inspiration to aspiring athletes and a symbol of hope for those facing challenges. „It involved a huge amount of hard work,“ Petkar recalls, „and it was all about passion and determination to not give up. The will to do something for the country helped me, I think.“ His dedication paid off.

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Petkar’s story is one of the resilience and hardship of a boy from rural Maharashtra who set pulses racing with his masterful achievements in the swimming pool and gained tremendous adulation in the immediate aftermath of his Paralympic Games triumph. Before he was discharged from service in 1969, he had participated in the Maharashtra State Athletic Meet in 1967 and became state champion in shot put, javelin throw, discuss throw, table tennis and archery. Karnam Malleswari won bronze medal for India in 2000 Olympics and became first Indian women to win an olympics medal.

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Meet Murlikant Petkar: The athlete who inspired Kartik Aaryan and Sushant Singh Rajput

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Athletic as a youngster, he grew up striving to achieve something for his country. But I do believe that this award would inspire other para-athletes,” the humble paralympian told The New India Express. Portraying the legendary Murlikant Petkar, India’s first Paralympic gold medalist, Aaryan went through an intense physical transformation, pushing himself beyond limits to embody the spirit of a true champion.

Rendered disabled for life, he was moved to INHS Asvini, the Navy hospital in Mumbai (then Bombay) where he was asked by the physiotherapist to take up swimming as part of the rehabilitation programme. On that visit to participate in the Stoke Mandeville International Games, Petkar, and other members of the Indian team were bewildered by the facilities provided for disabled athletes. Milkha Singh lived till 91, yet his legend and legacy will live on forever. Although he won India’s first ever Olympic/Paralympic medal and set image source a world record, Petkar missed out on the glory others after him received – India did not start keeping official records until 1984, and Petkar’s remained unrecognized.