Thereafter, in 1998 came his most notable success -- a silver in the 1500m freestyle, an event which he has been striving to bag at the V National Games (Manipur). The medal turned out to be the only one the State clinched in the mens' section.

And now, in his first year in the junior section, Amar has been in the spotlight again with a six-medal haul comprising three gold, two silver and a bronze, in the recently concluded 26th Junior National swimming championship at Jodhpur. Ample testimony of his prodigious talent.

What makes this Sardar Dastur High School lad tick, is his zeal to perform.

As his father Cdr Murlidharan puts it, ``He firmly believes practice makes one perfect and has never missed his daily four-hour practice at the Balewadi pool.'' On the other hand, the soft-spoken Amar says, ``Being confident is the best form of encouragement.'' On his recent performance, Amar with a shrug puts down his achievement to ``A positive approach. That did the trick.''

Being a Services personnel's son, a strict schedule which involves yoga and simple concentration exercises forms Amar's daily regimen. Cdr Murlidharan adds, ``From very early, I set a priority at taking up challenges which is paying off today.''

So confident is Cdr Murlidharan about his son, that, during the State meet at Balewadi recently, he virtually challenged his son's capabilities by saying, ``Amar is tipped to be an Asian medallist sooner or later. You can take it in writing from me.'' A tall order by the the sound of it, but looking at Amar's surge to stardom, since winning his first-ever competitive medal in the 50m backstroke in the under-11 section in 1995, Cdr Murlidharan's foresight seems to be smack on target.

With Ian Thorpe `Torpedo' the Aussie 400m world record holder as his favourite, Amar sets his sights on breaking the 18-minute barrier in the gruelling 30-lap 1500 metre freestyle event. Not forgetting, of course, the task of emulating Khazan Singh.

Amar, the eldest among the Murlidharans' has in his shadow his younger brother Arjun who too has attained National status, but when their father is asked as to who is more talented, ``Wait and watch,'' is the answer which is pregnant with suspense. And until the city gets another hero, Amar carries the hopes of Pune on his able young shoulders.