“I Swam to Keep my Father’s Memory Alive” – CRPF D.I G Khajan Singh Tokas

Khajan Singh Tokas was India’s first swimmer to have won a medal in the Asian Games. His 200m butterfly silver at the Seoul Asian Games in 1986 was a benchmark. The achievement made swimming a popular competition. Khajan Singh Tokas is currently working with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and all of his achievements in swimming still stand fresh in the minds of sports enthusiasts of the country.

^{Khajan Singh Tokas , Indian Swimmer}

Children thronged pools across the country to emulate Khajan Singh Tokas but none has shown the talent to achieve similar feats. It pains him that swimming has not grown. “Facilities have improved. Kids have better access to pools but we are not producing champions. The reasons are many but lack of talent is not the one,” he says, relaxing in his house at Vasant Kunj.

Khajan Singh swam to keep his father’s memory alive. He was nearly drowned once before elder brother Balkishan pulled him out of the pond in Delhi’s Munirka area. It was terrifying but it was inspiring too. Khajan Singh Tokas vowed that day to learn swimming and make a mark. “A pity that my father did not live to see his son make a mark,” lamented Khajan Singh Tokas CRPF, the best-known Indian swimmer.

He continues, “To tell the truth I always wanted to be a swimmer. I had the talent and being the youngest I was encouraged too. I was 16 when I lost my father. I swam because I knew that was what my father wanted me to”. There was a funny incident which Khajan remembers only to laugh at himself. “I swam 90 per cent of the length of the pond and feared I may struggle to reach the bank. So, I turned back, little realizing that the 10 per cent left was better than the 90 per cent.” That scramble to safety highlighted his endurance and he grew in confidence.

As Khajan Singh Tokas CRPF made waves in the pool, he came to be recognized as a medal hope in a sport that needed a hero. His coaching stint under Australian Eric Arnold turned out to be a significant phase in Khajan’s career. “Eric was my mentor. He was a very kind man and pushed me to improve my timings. I stayed three years with him (in Newcastle) and became a better swimmer. The silver at Seoul happened because of his coaching.” Arnold passed away two years back but Khajan has stayed in touch with his family.

Khajan Singh made his sensational debut in swimming in the 1982 National Aquatics Championship at Delhi. Khajan reigned supreme by winning five gold, two silver and one bronze. The following year, at the Nationals in Trivandrum, he raised the bar by clinching seven gold, two silver and one bronze. In 1985, he won the gold medal in the 100 meters freestyle swimming competition held at the Kathmandu South Asian Federation Games and he grabbed a silver medal at the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul. In 1987, he won seven gold medals at the National Aquatic Championship held at Ahmadabad. In 1988, he secured the third position at the Asian Swimming Championship in Beijing, thereby strengthening his presence at the international stage.