Zubair Mohammed Iftekhar, the founder of Razorfish Swim University, has been a swimmer for as long as he can remember. Now, he organises swim meets in the city to inspire people to take up swimming, whether as a sport or a life skill.
The American Red Cross-certified Water Safety Instructor and PADI-certified Open Water Diver was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. By the age of ten, he had aced all four competitive swimming strokes — freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly stroke — thanks to his father’s influence. “My dad, who was a professional swimmer, used to take me to the pool with him. That’s how I picked up the sport. Over the years, I won several medals at various levels,” Zubair says.
Zubair Mohammed Iftekhar, the founder of Razorfish Swim University, has been a swimmer for as long as he can remember.
He has had a connection with the city right from his childhood. “I used to visit Hyderabad during my holidays as my grandparents live here. I eventually relocated to the city to pursue a degree in engineering,” he says. It was Zubair’s passion for water safety that led to the establishment of India’s first swimming university.
“I read several reports about people drowning, and since I was passionate about swimming, I decided to make a career in the field. With my years of experience in the field of aquatics in the USA, I set up Razorfish Swim University, an institution that teaches people swimming,” he says.
The aim of the institution is to promote water safety as well as enjoyment. “We teach participants basic swimming skills that are essential for their survival in an emergency, and we help them enjoy their time in the water. Apart from teaching them the basics, I also want to produce medal-winners, which is why I have hired international coaches to train aspirants,” he adds.
Zubair organises an annual swim meet as part of his efforts to encourage swimming. “The meet also serves as a platform to bring likeminded people from the same community together,” he says. The second edition of the swim meet was held at a public school in the city on Sunday.
“The event was a runaway success with almost 350 participants ranging from the age of five to 45. Swimming enthusiasts turned up in large numbers and spread cheer as they beat the afternoon heat. It was great to see the enthusiasm shown by all the participants.”
Apart from running the swim university and organising swim meets Zubair also runs campaigns to increase awareness about water safety.
