India, Sept. 27 -- While some only dream of swimming across the English Channel, Kamya Bhardwaj, a final year BSc (Hons) Zoology student at Delhi University's Dyal Singh College, has etched her name in history as the first swimmer from Haryana to conquer the feat. The Gurugrammer completed the brutal solo swim from Dover, England to Cap Gris-Nez, France, in an incredible 14 hours and 19 minutes. "To realise I'm the first from my state feels surreal," she says. Back home, preparation meant some jugaad to simulate oceanic temperatures. With the North Indian summers crossing 30degC and no 12-hour pool access, Bhardwaj and her father headed to Palwal. She shares, "My father bought ice drums and parked them poolside. For 12 straight hours, I alternated between swimming for two hours and sitting in an ice tub for two hours." But the struggle didn't end there. To secure a slot, she had to prove she could endure six hours in freezing waters as a qualifying condition. "I had to submit a swim test in cold water, which wasn't possible in Haryana as we have no open-water bodies. So, my dad and I drove 10 hours to Bhimtal in Nainital, but it wasn't cold or quiet enough. We then headed to Sattal nearby and completed the cold-water qualifier," she reveals. The real test, however, was during the swim itself. "Around 10.5 hours in, I encountered swarms of jellyfish bigger than my face," recounts Bhardwaj, adding, "With the sun dipping, strong currents and shifting tides threatening to add five hours to my swim, my dad yelled at me to sprint. I stopped dodging, swam right over them, and took a sting to my left forearm."...