On the 16th December 2010, William Trubridge broke the CNF World Record at Dean’s Blue Hole in the Bahamas. He dived to a depth of 101m (331.36ft) on a single breath, using only his arms and legs to propel him. Two days ago, he set a new record - 100m at the same site - and became the first man to reach a depth of 100m without the assistance of a rope or fins.
On 3rd December 2014 (2nd December in the Bahamas), as part of the Vertical Blue 2014 competition, Trubridge attempted to break that record again: 102m. And the world was watching. This time, he could not do it. Needless to say, each one of us is faced with these moments, where we give our best shot and yet no matter how hard we try, we just about miss the mark. It’s times like these that are the true test of one’s tenacity and endurance. Victory belongs to those who persevere. You have to have the courage to push yourself out of your comfort zone, to stand tall and firm in that place that you are most vulnerable and then use all your strength to push through.
Indian Weekender is always keen to celebrate the endeavours of people who take the courage to push outside of their comfort zones and the Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame is our biggest claim to honouring this fighting spirit. Our new column on celebrating the heroes amongst us does exactly that. We also regularly feature a Face of the Week. These are everyday people who, while going through their daily life, have done something exceptional, that makes them stand apart from the crowd. If you know of someone who fits this description or you yourself have achievements that you would like to share with us, please write to us and we will be happy to interview you.
It was against all odds that we persevered to make our publication a weekly and I am proud to present to you our tenth weekly edition. We hope in doing so we have met your expectations and would love to hear from our readers on how we could improve our publication even more.
In constantly trying to bring you something new, this issue also sees the introduction of another new feature called ‘Pimp my Cause’. This is a platform to raise your voice and awareness about any cause that seems to have affected your life or made a difference. This is not a place to criticize or slander anyone, but a place for constructive feedback on issues that have a scope for improvement.
In the same vein, participating in a function organised to celebrate 21 years of 'Aap Ki Adalat' anchored by well-known TV personality Rajat Sharma, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Why be harsh when polite questions get desired answers?” At Indian Weekender, follow the same philosophy. Why be nasty, judgmental, accusatory or vindictive, when awareness and social change can be brought about just as efficiently by the power of the “positive”? Even at the cost of being criticized by others, we have never digressed from this. We are committed to enhancing your reading experience by bringing to you everything that assists you in getting further, upward and onward and never anything that pulls us down.
Until next time may the (positive) force be with you!
-Giri Gupta