In 1934, the German artist Max Ernst painted an abstract work titled The Blind Swimmer (Effect of a Touch). The painting invites viewers to imagine the sensations and perceptions of someone navigating a world without sight. While this idea may have seemed radical at the time, nature has long equipped creatures like bats, dolphins, and whales with a remarkable ability to “see” through sound—echolocation. By listening to echoes, they sense distance, movement, and shape. Even semi-blind animals such as beavers navigate water with confidence. If a visually impaired person can detect whether someone standing before them is taller or shorter just by sound and spatial awareness, then what truly prevents them from swimming?

Yet, in the world we inhabit—often hurried, indifferent, and unkind—the visually impaired face immense challenges simply in moving across a crowded city street. The absence of guiding hands and supportive systems makes mobility itself an act of courage. Ironically, the water, which many sighted people approach with caution, can offer a rare sense of freedom to those without vision. But very few ever get the opportunity to experience that freedom. Perhaps this is why specialized coaching for visually impaired swimmers remains almost absent in India—because we have never taken the time to imagine that they could excel in this field.

Among the rare few who have defied this neglect is Himanshu Nandal, a young swimmer from Bohar Village, Rohtak. He lives by a simple belief: “Don’t let what you can’t see stop you from what you can feel.” With total vision loss, Himanshu slices through water at Sirifort Sports Complex and Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi, learning stroke by stroke to read the sound of water.

For a blind swimmer, one of the greatest fears is crashing headfirst into the pool wall. Yet, this fear is not unfamiliar to the visually impaired—every step on a staircase, every crossing, every walk on a roadside carries a similar risk. Having confronted those fears daily, Himanshu approaches the pool with remarkable composure. The power to overcome fear keeps growing and that is proven by the fact that Himanshu manages to dive into the pool with utmost panache which most visually impaired swimmers struggle to do. 

His father stands at one end of the pool, holding a long stick with a rubber ball attached to its tip. Each time Himanshu is about to reach the wall, the ball gently taps his forehead—a signal to turn. But at the other end, he navigates entirely by himself. Over time, he has learned to sense the shift in echoes, the way sound returns differently near the wall. He now swims in unfamiliar pools without hesitation. Himanshu’s journey is rooted in a family of athletes. His father is a former national-level hockey player, and his uncle represented India at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The family moved to Delhi in 2008, where Himanshu joined the National Association for the Blind (NAB), learning Braille, communication, and mobility skills. He later transitioned to mainstream schooling in 2010, studied at Tagore International School, Delhi from class 2 nd to 12 th and went on to complete his B.A. (Hons.) in Political Science from Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, Delhi University.

His desire to challenge societal perceptions of disability shaped his path in sports. In 2016, while watching the Rio Paralympics, his father told him that these were international games for athletes with disabilities. That moment planted the ambition to represent India.

Himanshu began with Judo in 2017, winning two gold, one silver, and one bronze at the national level. But inconsistent classification in the sport, which often placed totally blind athletes against partially sighted competitors, pushed him to look elsewhere. He found fairness and structure in Para Swimming—where classification is transparent and standardized worldwide.

He began training in August 2021, resumed full-time in February 2022, and soon after competed in his first national meet in Udaipur, where he won two gold medals and set a national record. He was later classified internationally in the S11 category for fully blind swimmers. He went on to dominate national championships in Guwahati, Gwalior, and Goa, repeatedly breaking his own national records.

In 2022, Himanshu represented India at the 4th Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China, competing in five events and securing finishes that included 4th and 5th place. In 2024, he became the first Indian blind swimmer to achieve the Minimum Qualification Standard (MQS) for the Paris Paralympics—a historic milestone, even though quota limitations prevented participation.

In 2025, he qualified for and competed at the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore, racing in four events and advancing to two finals. Himanshu continues to dominate National championships year on year and has won 3 golds at the just concluded National Para Swimming Championship, 2025-26.

He won gold in 50 m freestyle, 100 m breaststroke and 100 m backstroke in his S11 category. Himanshu’s story is not one of sympathy—it is one of clarity, discipline, and determination. He does not seek to be seen as inspirational; he simply wants to swim, to compete, and to represent his country. He is proof that vision is not limited to the eyes. Somewhere deep within the blue swirl of the pool, he sees with his heart—and the world is finally beginning to notice.
Source: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2025/sports/the-blind-swimmer-who-sees-with-his-heart.html