Part 1 Chapter 3 Summary

The main character tells the story of how he got his name. He was named after a swimming pool in Paris that was visited by one of his father's good friends, Francis Adirubasamy. The main character feels a great deal of affection for Mr. Adirubasamy and calls him Mamji, a respectful affectionate term for uncle in his native tongue. Mamji, in his younger years, was a champion competitive swimmer.

Even though the main character's family did not enjoy swimming the same way Mamji did, the main character's father loved the talk of it. Mamji would indulge him with the talk of the swimming pools in Paris, where he studied for 2 years in the early 1930's. He would tell them about the swimming pools, about their histories and about those built and used for the Olympics. He also discussed at length and...