Shah Rukh Khan: Courage, determination, and a single-minded vision. These are the qualities the biggest achievers have in common. These are those brave hearts for whom failure is not an option. What looks to us an unconquerable sea, to our next speaker is an irresistible stage she was born to perform on. So let's dive straight into the story of our fearless speaker, Bhakti Sharma, who's making waves in the world of long-distance swimming. Bhakti Sharma.
(Applause)
Bhakti Sharma: Imagine, in the scorching Rajasthan heat, on a hot summer afternoon, a two-and-a-half-year-old riding on a moped behind her mom, not knowing where they were headed. And 20 minutes later, that two-and-a-half-year-old finds herself completely submerged in water. Before I knew it, I would be kicking, splashing, screaming, gulping down water, holding onto my mom for my dear life. That's how I learned how to swim.
I started pool-swimming when I was two and a half, and open water swimming when I was 14 years old. And so I have given over 25 years of my life to this sport, during which I have swum in all five oceans of the world, crossed the English Channel -- which is also known as the Mount Everest of swimming -- and set a world record in the freezing Antarctic ocean.
(Applause)
When you spend so much time with a sport, it ceases to be just that and becomes a mirror. And that shows who you really are. You see that your mettle as an athlete is not only tested on race day but every single day, when the sport demands that you get up at 4:30 in the morning, swim for two hours, go to school, come back, swim for three hours, go home, eat and sleep. When you win a medal or set a world record, this mirror shows the happiness that you and your loved ones feel, but also reflects the tears that you shed all by yourself, alone in the water.
Open water swimming is a very lonely sport. I have spent hours looking into the infinite, seemingly bottomless ocean underneath me, with nothing to keep me company but my own thoughts. And so, I have not only been tested as a swimmer but also as a thinking, feeling, imaginative human being. Be it my first test as a marathon swimmer, when I decided to swim for 12 hours non-stop in a swimming pool or crossing the English Channel in 13 hours and 55 minutes. When you're swimming, you don't talk, you don't hear very well, and your vision is restricted to what's right in front of you or underneath you. This isolation has been my sport's biggest gift to me.
Through open water swimming, I have come to know myself in ways that I could have never expected to. I remember, at the age of 14, when I jumped into an ocean for the first time for a swim, and throughout this swim, the waves were picking me up and throwing me down, I saw the child in me, who enjoys such adventures. While crossing the English Channel, after already having swam for 10 hours, when I got stuck in one place for one and a half hour because of the currents, I saw the strong and dedicated athlete in me, who did not want to disappoint her parents or her country. In an open water marathon held in Switzerland, when I won my first gold medal for India --
(Applause)
I witnessed a proud Indian in me. While crossing the English Channel again, this time in a relay with my mother, not knowing that we were creating history, I saw the protective daughter in me, who just wanted to see her mom fulfill her own dreams. And four years ago, when I jumped into the Antarctic Ocean, wearing nothing but a swimsuit, cap and goggles, with an unwavering spirit of just doing, I saw a fighter in me.
When I jumped into that zero-to-one-degree-Celsius water, I realized that I had prepared my body and mind for the cold, but what I wasn't prepared for was the density of the water. Every stroke felt like pulling through oil. And in the first five minutes, I had that paralyzing thought of just giving up. How nice it would be to just forget about all this, get on the boat, stand underneath the hot shower or wrap myself in a warm blanket? But with that thought, also came a stronger, a more willful voice from deep within. "You know you have it in you to just take one more stroke." So I lifted my arm and took a stroke. "Now one more." So I took a second and a third stroke. By the fourth one, I saw a penguin swimming underneath my stomach. It came up to my left and started swimming with me. "See? A penguin is cheering you on," said that voice within.
(Applause and cheers)
I looked up to my people on the boat. They had the same smile on their faces that I had on mine. The same smile that we all have when we are stuck in a difficult situation and we see a ray of hope. We take it as a sign from destiny, and we just keep pushing forward. Just as I did, and 41 minutes later, set the world record for swimming the longest distance in the Antarctic Ocean.
(Applause)
Imagine, it doesn't even snow in Rajasthan.
(Laughter)
That voice, which has accompanied me through all my difficult situations throughout my swims, would have never shown itself if I had not spent so much time alone, had not paid attention to every single thought that crossed my mind. When you find yourself alone in an ocean, with your thoughts, the dangers that you face are not just external, like whales, sharks, jellyfish or even demotivating people.
But the more dangerous demons you face are the fear and negativity inside you that tell you, "You're not good enough. You will never reach the other shore. You haven't trained enough. What if you fail? What will people think? I'm sure everybody is thinking right now how slow you are." We all have our own internal demons, don't we? In a day-to-day life, you can hide from them, behind your work or many other distractions. But like I said, in the middle of the ocean, there is nowhere to hide. I have to face my internal demons, just as much as I have to taste the salt in the sea, feel the chafing on my skin, and acknowledge the whales swimming beside me. I hate it, and I love it.
I hate it because this sport shows me the side of myself that I don't want to believe exists. The side of me that is human and not perfect. Like the part of me that can't get out of bed in the morning and make it to practice. The side of me that gets so burned out, so tired, that just wants to quit swimming. But I also love it, because this sport has given me moments that I can look back on when I feel unmotivated. And they bring me to my knees, because I feel so grateful.
Many of you may not spend hours swimming non-stop. But who do you spend the most amount of your time with? You may share your external space with many others, but there is one constant companion that you all have: you. And yet, most of us may never come to knowing who we really are. I'm a daughter, an Indian, a swimmer, a student. But I am so much more. If you are not investing in yourself, not setting a path that brings you closer to you, no amount of "success" in life can bring you lasting joy or satisfaction.
Even today, when I can't find motivation or joy in what I'm doing, all I ask myself is, "Is this the best I can do right now?" And the meaning of my "best" changes. On some days, it means not giving up, continuing to swim in freezing water and setting a world record. But on many other days, it means getting over my depressing thoughts, stepping out of the house and being able to do the daily chores. What does not change is that voice within. That internal compass which guides me to a better self every day. And I believe that a truly successful life is the one which is spent in the pursuit of becoming the best possible version of yourself when you take that last breath.
Thank you.
(Applause)
SRK: I think the only sport I can't do is swim -- I sink like a rock. So standing next to the world's best swimmer makes me kind of feel -- if you can excuse my pun -- kind of at sea. But --
BS: (Laughs) No pun intended, of course.
SRK: But what is your next goal as a swimmer?
BS: I have a major fear of competition, so what better goal to set than aiming for the Olympics? Because open water swimming is an Olympic sport now.
(Applause)
Even saying it out loud gives me shivers, because it's such a huge goal that I don't want to accept that I have set that goal, but that's the thrill of it, that's the part of it. And my idea is that if I make it to the Olympics or I don't make it, that doesn't matter, but in the process of training for it, I will have become a better swimmer and a better person.
SRK: Inshallah, you will make it to the Olympics. And I want to tell you a lot of people who are watching this show at home, there's lots of people, all of whom are thinking only positively for you, so when you go for the Olympics, imagine all of us will be wearing our penguin suits and swimming with you, and saying, "Go on, go on, Bhakti, go on, go on."
BS: Can you be my personal penguin?
SRK: I am your penguin now. It would have been cooler if you said, like, a shark and all, but penguin --
BS: Orcas are my spirit animal, but you can be my orca.
(Applause)
SRK: Ladies and gentleman, Bhakti.
BS: Thank you.
(Applause)
