This elderly Surat resident named Bakulaben Patel personifies the adage "age is no barrier." The 80-year-old swimmer's tale is one of extreme bravery, tenacity, and resilience. She demonstrates how passionately held dreams are the best narratives to live out in splendor. Her bravery in pursuing her passion for sports led to the accumulation of several hundreds of medals at the district, regional, and national championship levels, which are now part of her hall of fame. For her, though, the journey has not always been easy.

Her Natural Ability is ‘Effective & Smooth’

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She conquered her fear of water after drowning, and now she can swim across streams like a pro with fluidity and effortlessness. 
According to Bakulaben Patel, who spoke with the BBC, she had never learned to swim because she was terrified of the ocean. But at the age of 58, she embarked on a new adventure and tried her hand at several sports. She started competing nationally at the age of 59. She has represented India in competitions held in 12 nations in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australasia. Her accomplishments include over 500 certificates and nine international medals. 

Overcoming Her Fears ~ 

She decided to start swimming and let go of her concerns.  “I made the tough decision to finally learn the skill because I asked myself, how long am I going to keep running away from swimming?” Patel told the BBC. Patel practiced her swimming skills on the Tapi River, where she first learned to swim.  Before beginning her daily routine, Patel gets up early, runs for fourteen kilometers, and does eleven 'surya namaskars' and 'shirshasanas' without asking for assistance.

Jack Of All Cards  ~ 

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In her lifetime, she has also taught more than 400 swimmers, and she intends to keep inspiring others to take up the sport.  Bakulaben Patel has conquered increasingly difficult seas all around the world and has numerous medals and diplomas to her name. Patel told the newspaper that her toughest challenge was swimming in the Canadian Sea, where she remarkably completed the swim twice.

At the age of 75, Bakulaben Patel made her debut not just as a swimmer but also as a Bharatnatyam dancer. Being among the oldest people to study and perform the Arangetram, she made news. Patel has also received accolades for her dancing.

Her Take On Her Dreams  ~ 

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Patel has an indomitable energy that motivates her to keep working toward her goals. She stated that her goals are to break the Guinness World Record in swimming and to navigate the English Channel one day successfully. 

"I was interested in sports and athletics since I was young, but I also had early parent loss, a young marriage at thirteen, and widowhood when my kids were still small. She says over the phone from her Surat home, "I felt utterly alone. Her voice trailing off into melancholy, she remembers not knowing what to do when her children flew the nest a few years later. She told Vogue, “I decided to use sports as a diversion.”