Bula Chowdhury at Writers' Building on Thursday. Picture by Aranya Sen

Calcutta, Aug. 26: Bula Chowdhury, who swam the Palk Strait last Friday, was at Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s office today telling him the secret of her energy.

Patting the former national swimming champion, Bhattacharjee asked: “Where do you get so much stamina?”

“Aami khub daaber jal khetam (I used to have a lot of coconut water),” Bula revealed.

The chief minister was amused. “Achha? Daaber jale etto shakti? (Coconut water gives so much strength?)”

Bula may have swum seas but Bhattacharjee can swim, too, coconut water or not. “Etota parbo na, tobe ek ghanta parbo (Won’t be able to swim so long, but I can for an hour),” he said.

Bula and her husband-coach Sanjib Chakraborty were ushered into Bhattacharjee’s office by sports minister Subhas Chakraborty as he was preparing for a meeting on canal navigation.

In the presence of cabinet colleagues Asok Bhattacharya, Subhas Chakraborty, Goutam Deb and Ganesh Mondal, city mayor Subrata Mukherjee, the chief secretary and home secretary, the chief minister remembered his swimming feats. “I used to be a regular member of Hatkola Club. Before that, I swam at Deshbandhu Park. Arati Saha (the first woman to swim the English Channel) was my coach,” Bhattacharjee told Bula.

“I have also swum across the Ganga,” he added with obvious pride.

Bula, the first woman ever to cross the seven seas, was touched by the chief minister’s interest in talking to her. She said she came to see Bhattacharjee because he had encouraged her a lot before she left for mission Palk Strait.