C.N. Janaki is a bank officer from Bangalore whose legs were made useless by polio. In 1992 she became the first physically handicapped person to be part of a successful relay team that swam the English Channel.

What were the two conditions set by the English Channel Swimming Association?

A swimmer had to be able to spend at least ten hours continuously in water, and had to be able to do marathon swimming — that is, swim in the high seas for long hours at a stretch.

Why did Janaki swim in a relay team instead of solo?

She wanted to swim solo, but the officials had no special boat to rescue her if needed. For her safety it was decided she would be part of a six-member relay team called 'Janaki's Maritime Express'.

What problems did Janaki face while swimming the Channel?

The water was very cold and salty and made her feel sick; her useless legs were pushed about by the waves; and seaweeds and jellyfish kept sticking to her body, making her very uncomfortable.

Lesson 2: The Swimmer Who Does Not Need Her Legs!

Q: What is the message of 'The Swimmer Who Does Not Need Her Legs'?

A physical handicap is no bar to success. With hard work, determination, courage and self-reliance one can overcome all obstacles, and the word 'impossible' applies only to what has not been tried.

Detailed Text · A true story of courage over handicap

English · Odisha Board Class 9 · Summary + Textbook Q&A + 25 Quiz

📖 Lesson 2 — The Swimmer Who Does Not Need Her Legs! (Detailed Text): This inspiring true story is about C.N. Janaki, a young woman whose legs were made useless by polio, yet who became the first physically handicapped person to be part of a successful team that swam the English Channel. Everything you need — summary, theme, word-meanings and all textbook answers — is here.

The Swimmer Who Does Not Need Her Legs!

📝 About the Lesson

This is the real-life story of C.N. Janaki, a bank officer from Bangalore. As a child she was struck by polio, which left her legs useless. In spite of this, she trained for years and, on 28 July 1992, became the first handicapped person to help a relay team cross the English Channel. Her story shows that courage, hard work, determination and self-reliance can overcome any handicap.

👥 People in the Story

C.N. Janaki — a polio-affected young woman and brave swimmer; a bank officer in Bangalore.
Mr. Nagappa — Janaki's father.
Mrs. Indiramma — Janaki's mother.
Mr. Gopal — an NIS (National Institute of Sports) coach who certified she could swim ten hours continuously.
Dinesh Suvarna — her coach at Malpe, on the Arabian Sea.
Stella Streeter — the famous Channel coach who trained her at Dover.

📚 Summary

Section I: Janaki was struck by polio in 1987, which made her legs useless. As a child she dreamt of swimming the English Channel. The English Channel Swimming Association told her two conditions must be met: a swimmer must be able to stay at least ten hours continuously in water, and must be able to do marathon swimming in the high seas. She trained very hard in Bangalore and, after almost four years, could spend ten hours at a stretch in a pool; coach Mr. Gopal gave her a certificate. With the help of the Thimaiah National Academy of Adventure, she then trained for three weeks in the Arabian Sea at Malpe under Dinesh Suvarna, swimming at least 20 km a day. She sent her certificates to the Channel Swimming Association in England, got permission, and raised funds with help from the government, private agencies and friends.

Section II: Janaki and her parents left for England in mid-1992. At Dover, the officials were shocked — never before had a physically handicapped person tried to swim the Channel. She trained under the famous coach Stella Streeter. As a solo attempt needed a special rescue boat they did not have, it was decided she would be part of a relay team of six swimmers. The Americans in the team, amazed that she could swim, named the team ‘Janaki's Maritime Express’. The attempt was made on 28 July 1992. Her fight was against nature — cold salty water, waves pushing her legs about, seaweed and jellyfish — but she swam her share of about two hours and helped the team cross the 36 km Channel in 14 hours and 45 minutes. Her anxious parents, who could not eat a morsel, were overjoyed. Janaki became the first handicapped swimmer to part-swim the English Channel, and hoped next to train for the 1996 Paraplegic Olympics in Atlanta.

💡 Theme / Message

A physical handicap is no bar to success. With hard work, determination, courage and self-reliance, one can overcome all obstacles. As Janaki says, the word ‘impossible’ applies only to something that has not been tried — and there is no short-cut to success.

🏷️ Why this title?

Janaki's legs were made useless by polio, so unlike other swimmers she could not use her legs to swim. She swam the Channel using mainly her arms. The title ‘The Swimmer Who Does Not Need Her Legs!’ highlights her extraordinary achievement of swimming without the use of her legs.

📖 Glossary (Word Meanings)

Word / Phrase	Meaning
English Channel	the narrow sea passage that separates England and France
polio	an infectious disease of the spine that causes an inability to move certain muscles
handicapped	(here) having the physical disability of not being able to walk
at a stretch	without stopping
NIS	National Institute of Sports
solo	(here) an unaccompanied swimming by one person alone
waters (plural)	part of a sea or a river
feel sick	start vomiting
morsel	a small piece of food
agonizing	causing mental anguish; worried
paraplegic	(a person) the lower part of whose body, including both legs, is paralysed
obstacle	hindrance; barrier; bar; obstruction
self-reliance	the ability to do things and make decisions by oneself, without the help of others
marathon swimming	swimming in the high seas for long hours at a stretch
relay swim	a swim where a team of six swimmers each swim in turn

D. Let's understand the text — Textbook Question Answers

1When did Janaki get the idea of swimming the English Channel?

Janaki got the idea of trying to swim the English Channel when she was still a child.

2What did she plan to do then?

She then conveyed her plan to the English Channel Swimming Association, asking for details about how she could make the attempt. When she learnt the two conditions, she planned to train hard so as to fulfil them.

3Who said, ‘I was able to swim 10 hours at a stretch in the swimming pool’? (a) Mr. Gopal (b) Mr. Dinesh Suvarna (c) Janaki

(c) Janaki.

4Where did she go with the help of Thimaiah Academy of Adventure?

With the help of the Thimaiah National Academy of Adventure, she went to the coastal town of Malpe and began training in the Arabian Sea.

5What did she do there?

At Malpe she spent three weeks training under a coach called Dinesh Suvarna. She learnt to spend long hours in the sea by swimming a minimum of 20 kilometres a day.

6Who contributed the money she needed for swimming the English Channel?

The government, a few private agencies and several friends contributed the money she needed for the attempt.

7Who was Stella Streeter?

Stella Streeter was a famous Channel coach under whom Janaki trained for about three weeks at Dover before the attempt.

8What does ‘Janaki's Maritime Express’ mean?

‘Janaki's Maritime Express’ was the name given to Janaki's relay team by its members (mostly Americans), to honour her. They were amazed that a handicapped person like Janaki could swim, so they named the sea-crossing team after her.

E. Let's understand the text better

1What were the conditions set by the English Channel Swimming Authority?

Two conditions had to be met before a swimmer was allowed to make an attempt: (a) the swimmer should be able to spend at least ten hours continuously in water; and (b) the swimmer should be able to do marathon swimming — that is, swim in the high seas for long hours at a stretch.

2Why were the officials of English Channel Swimming Association shocked?

The officials were shocked because it was the first time in their experience that a physically handicapped person was trying to swim the English Channel. They had never seen such an attempt before, and they were worried about her safety.

3Why was it decided that Janaki would be part of a relay team?

Janaki wanted to make a solo attempt, but the officials said they did not have a special boat to accompany her in case she needed to be lifted out of the water. For her safety, therefore, it was decided that she would be part of a relay team instead of swimming solo.

4What were the channel waters like?

The Channel waters were very cold, so she needed much more energy than usual to keep her arms moving. The water was very salty, and made her feel sick when it entered her mouth. There were also seaweeds and jellyfish that kept sticking to her body and made her very uncomfortable.

5What were the problems that Janaki faced while swimming the channel in a relay team?

She faced several problems: the water was so cold that she needed much more energy to keep her arms moving; her useless legs were pushed to the left or right by the waves; the salty water made her feel sick when it entered her mouth; and the seaweeds and jellyfish kept sticking to her body, making her very uncomfortable.

6What were the feelings of Janaki's parents when she was crossing the channel waters?

Her parents, Mr Nagappa and Mrs Indiramma, stood anxiously on Dover beach wondering how things would turn out. They were so worried that they could not eat a single morsel. As Mr Nagappa said, it was really very agonizing for them, as old people, to see their daughter doing something so dangerous.

7What does the expression ‘paraplegic Olympics’ mean?

‘Paraplegic Olympics’ (now called the Paralympics) means the Olympic Games for physically handicapped people — especially those whose lower body, including both legs, is paralysed. Janaki hoped to train for the 1996 Paraplegic Olympics in Atlanta.

8What is it you like most about Janaki? (Is it her determination, her courage, her hard work....?)

I like Janaki's determination and courage most of all. In spite of her useless legs, she never gave up her dream. She trained for years with great hard work and self-reliance, faced the cold, salty, dangerous Channel waters bravely, and proved that being handicapped is no bar to success. Her refusal to accept the word ‘impossible’ is truly inspiring.

F – J. Let's talk, new words & language practice — useful for exams.

1F (a) Say whether the following statements are True or False.

(i) Janaki was struck by polio at the age of two. — False (she was struck by polio in 1987, not at the age of two). (ii) Janaki was the first woman to swim the English Channel. — False (she was the first handicapped person to part-swim it, as part of a relay team). (iii) Janaki had begun training very hard before she attempted the channel swim. — True. (iv) The Channel Swimming Association permitted Janaki to swim alone across the English Channel. — False (she was made part of a relay team, not allowed to swim solo). (v) All other members of the relay team were also handicapped like Janaki. — False (every other member was physically normal). (vi) Janaki's parents were worried about her when she was in the channel waters. — True. (vii) The dream of Janaki was to swim the English Channel. — True. (viii) Janaki wanted to prove that to be handicapped is no bar to success. — True.

2H. Let's learn some new words — Negative prefixes (opposite meaning).

A prefix added to the front of a word can give the opposite meaning. From the lesson, the root word of impossible is possible (im + possible). Other negative prefixes: un-, in-, il-, ir-, dis-, mis-, de-. Examples: im + proper = improper; un + able = unable; in + essential = inessential; il + legal = illegal; mis + manage = mismanage; de + recognise = derecognise; dis + order = disorder.

3H. Tick the correct negative prefix for each word (sample answers).

Possible → im (impossible) · Courage → dis (discourage) · Sufficient → in (insufficient) · Connect → dis (disconnect) · Personal → im (impersonal) · Successfully → un (unsuccessfully) · Comfortable → un (uncomfortable) · Worthy → un (unworthy) · Obey → dis (disobey) · Able → un/dis (unable, disable) · Understand → mis (misunderstand) · Honest → dis (dishonest) · Count → mis (miscount) · Valid → in (invalid) · Fit → un (unfit) · Used → un (unused) · Manage → mis (mismanage) · Essential → in (inessential) · Believe → dis (disbelieve) · Appear → dis (disappear) · Mindful → un (unmindful) · Proper → im (improper) · Normal → ab (abnormal) · Efficient → in (inefficient) · Suitable → un (unsuitable).

4I. Complete with could / was able to / were able to / couldn't.

(i) The fire spread quickly but everyone was able to escape. (ii) He could drive when he was sixteen, but he couldn't because he didn't have a licence. (iii) They didn't have any tomatoes in the first shop I went to, but I was able to get some in the next shop. (iv) The boy fell into the river but fortunately we were able to rescue him. (v) He had hurt his leg, so he could walk very slowly. (vi) I looked everywhere for the book but I couldn't find it.

5B. Make sentences of your own using these phrases (sample sentences).

at a stretch: She read the whole novel at a stretch. leave for: We will leave for Delhi tomorrow morning. in spite of: In spite of his illness, he came to school. a lot of: There is a lot of water in the tank. keep a sharp eye: The teacher kept a sharp eye on the students during the exam.

6(Value-based / HOTS) ‘The word impossible is applied to something that has not been tried.’ What does Janaki mean? Do you agree?

Janaki means that we call a thing ‘impossible’ only because we have never made a real effort to do it. Once we try with hard work, courage and determination, what seemed impossible can become possible — as she herself proved by swimming the Channel in spite of her useless legs. Yes, I agree: her life shows that effort and self-reliance can turn ‘impossible’ dreams into real achievements, and that there is no short-cut to success.