Milkha Singh Ascends to the Ultimate Podium in life, at age 91 - Long Live Milkha Singh.
Images courtesy : Wikipedia and PTI.
Milkha Singh was given a befitting epithet of ‘Flying Sikh’ by General Ayub Khan - the military ruler of Pakistan, the land where Milkha Singh was born in the British India. Milkha Singh has inspired and will continue to inspire generation of Indian athletes. He has shown the path that with determination, passion, commitment, sacrifice and undying zeal to achieve what you have set out to achieve, success is sure to come by. What is more inspiring is that Milkha Singh was a teenager and one of those millions of displaced Indians who had to leave behind their land of birth to migrate to India during the partition of India by the British. Milkha Singh lost both his parents and three of his siblings in that merciless killings that spawned for weeks during the partition of India. The last words that young Milkha Singh heard his father speak to him, before he was brutally killed in that deadly act of inhuman violence that was perpetrated on the Hindus and Muslims in Pakistan during the partition and the resulting migration to India, was ‘ Bhag Milkha Bhag ‘. These words from his father proved to be providential for Milkha Singh, who on the orders of his father ran for safety and migrated to India, Jalandhar, in the Military Truck and lived a life that began from penury with existential crisis, which compelled him even to cheat and steal and in the process be jailed at Tihar Jail in Delhi. But then those prophetic ‘Bhag Milkha Bhag’ words saw him through this testing period, which was filled with unending trials and tribulations that ultimately led to those extraordinary triumphs and achievements, which are now legendary and revered across India. The extraordinary life of Milkha Singh came to an end on the 18th June due to the Covid 19 complications. The achievements of Milkha Singh, when seen contextually are that much more heralding and therefore it is no wonder that he has been an inspiration for generation of athletes and will continue to be so for many more generations.
Having inspired millions of his admirers as Flying Sikh for nine decades, putting his body to those extreme tests of endurance, which have been so beautifully portrayed in the scripts of Prasun Joshi on the celluloid in his biopic ‘Bhag Milkha Bhag’ enacted by Farhan Akhtar, who plays his role in the film, it is time for the nonagenarian Milkha Singh to rest in peace eternally as ‘ RelaxSingh’ in the heavenly abode, which is now home to him. Milkha Singh had put his body to the toughest of tests and conditions while practising passionately for achieving those unparalleled successes in athletics, which helped him not just in winning the four Asian Championship Gold medals and the Common Wealth Gold Medal in 1958, but so also in breaking the world record on way to his legendary achievements at the 1960 Rome Olympics in 400 metres sprint, in which he missed the podium by a whisker. The film Bhag Milkha Bhag, so beautifully has characterised and captured those great moments of trials, tribulations and triumphs of Milkha Singh. Flying Sikh will continue to inspire millions of his followers, who are constantly trying to emulate his endearing feats, and will continue to do so for generations to come.
Much before the biopic Bhag Milkha Bhag that was produced in 2013 by Bollywood, the All India Radio - part of India's largest public broadcasting agency Prasar Bharati, had produced a multi-part radio autobiography of Milkha Singh and this radio program was recorded by the great Milkha Singh himself for the AIR. The news of the demise of the legendary Sardar, made Prasar Bharati to go back in time to sift through its archives, a treasure trove of memories, and post their homage to the Flying Sikh by posting their three parts radio autobiography that Singh had recorded for the agency, on their You Tube Channel. Here is the link to this wonderful radio autobiography of Milkha Singh in his own words for those who may be interested. This autobiography, titled 'The Flying Sikh', is divided into three parts. In this radio interview Milkha Singh goes on to narrate his career as a former track and field sprinter, remembering his experiences at the Asian Games, the '56 Melbourne Summer Olympics, the '60 Summer Olympics in Rome, and the '64 Tokyo Olympics, among others.
Milkha Singhs achievements and the bollywood film - Bhag Milkha Bhag, in a way can be considered as an outcome of a providential blessing of his parents and three of his siblings, who were so mercilessly murdered in that hour of madness, which the undivided British India witnessed during its partition. The last word that the young Milkha Singh heard from his father, who along with his mother and siblings were brutally murdered while attempting to cross over from their home in Pakistan to India, was ‘Bhag Milkha Bhag’. Providentially the young Milkha Singh did manage to run away from that scene of death and madness to survive that horror to leave behind a legacy to be heralded for generations.
Milkha Singh was born in to a very large family of 15 children in a village called Govindpuri near Muzaffargarh city in the undivided Punjab on the Pakistani side, on 20th November 1929. Milkha Singh had grown up in this village, which was part of the undivided British India. But then the partition of India changed all that. Milkha Singh’s family was one of those innumerable families of Hindus and Sikhs who were caught in the midst of that horrendous partition of India which resulted in the creation of a new Muslim nation, Pakistan, in 1947. A tale of unspeakable horror and merciless killings continued for days and weeks, during the partition in which millions of Hindus and Sikhs, including Milkha Singh’s family, were trying to migrate to India from Pakistan. Both the parents of Milkha Singh and so also three of his siblings were killed during this period. Milkha survived this massacre to tell his story. Milkha Singh, in one of his interviews recalled the partition horror and remembered the last words of his father, before falling prey to that senseless massacre. His father even while he was dying said "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", exhorting his son to run for his life. The teenager Milkha ran - first to save his life, and then to herald his own successful career in athletics.
Milkha Singh landed in Ferozepur in a military truck after a nightmare journey from Multan in a train soaked in blood. Still a teenager boy, Milkha had to pass through testing times after he arrived in India. He lived a life of penury often times forced to steal ration to feed his empty stomach until managing to join the Indian army after several failed attempts. It was in the Army that Milkha Singh discovered his athletic abilities, when he joined EME, Secunderabad. It was here that he was short listed as one of the 10 members, out of the 500 people who participated in 10 kilometres run. His performance came to the notice of Havaldar Gurdev Singh, who became his first coach. Gurudev Singh took Milkha Singh under his tutelage and started coaching him for athletics, particularly 200 and 400 metres sprint. Very soon Milkha Singh made his mark by winning the competition at inter-services meet, which resulted in his selection for an India camp in 1956. It also earned him a berth for the Melbourne Olympics. Thus began his tryst with the 400m athletics sprint. It was here that Milkha was exposed to the greatest of world athletes and watching these greats streak past, Milkha Singh harboured an ambition to run as fast as them. Milkha Singh was eliminated in the heats in the 1956 Olympics at Melbourne. However this exposure to world athletes instilled an ambition in Milkha that helped him train that much harder and often times Milkha Singh continued his training till he dropped down and out. The uni-focus ambition and desire to excel and run as fast as the worlds best and his obsession to win, helped Milkha to set national records. One of the athletes who inspired him majorly at the Melbourne 1956 Olympics was Charles Jenkins, who had barely managed to finish third in the two heats before to get selected for the finals in 400 metres event. In the finals Jenkins left every one behind to win the Gold Medal, he also added another medal in the 4x400 metres relay. Milkha Singh who was eliminated in the heats thus harboured an ambition to try and emulate Jenkins, who notwithstanding his relatively poor performance in the heats managed to pull all his strength in the finals to win the coveted 400 metres Olympics Gold Medal.
Milkha Singh soon started creating a space of his own with extraordinary exploits on the track and field, which are now legendary in India. He won five golds in international athletic championships and was awarded the Helms World Trophy in 1959 for winning 77 of his 80 international races. His first Gold medal came at the 1958 Asian Games, which was held in Tokyo, Japan. Milkha Singh won two Gold medals at this event in 400 metres and 200 metres, which was soon followed by the Gold medal in 400 metres - India's first Commonwealth gold, in 1958at the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff. He was running in the sixth and outermost lane, at Cardiff Arms Park in this event which was being witnessed by a record 70,000 plus audiences. Major attraction of this event was the world record holder, South Africa’s Malcom Spence, who was pipped by Milkha Singh in this race. Milkha Singh clocked a record 46.71 seconds to win the Gold Medal while Malcom Spence had to contend with a silver clocking 46.90 seconds. Thus Milkha Singh created history by becoming the first Indian to win the Gold medal for the country in the Common Wealth Games. He received his his Gold medal from Queen Elizabeth. After the race, addressing the BBC, he said ‘ he had fulfilled his duty towards his motherland’.
The year 1960 is inextricably linked to Milkha Singh in the annals of athletics history of India. He was once again selected for the Rome Olympics Indian squad and this time he successfully sailed through the 400 metres heats rounds to get selected for the finals. In one of most fascinating finals that has ever been witnessed in Olympics, four of the six finalists in the 400 metres surpassed the world record with the American athlete Otis Crandall Davis, winning the Gold medal in 44.90 seconds. He was tied with Karl Kaufman of Germany, who too finished the race winning the Silver in 44.90 seconds. Malcolm Spence, the South African athlete, who was beaten by Milkha Singh at the 1958 Common Wealth Games, won the Bronze Medal with a timing of 45.50 seconds, leaving behind Milkha Singh by one tenth of s second. Milkha Singh who clocked 45.60 seconds in the race ended up in the fourth position, which considering the background from which he grew was heralded as one of the greatest of any athletics race by an Indian.
It was in this very year 1960, that Milkha Singh got an opportunity to go nostalgic when he was given an invitation to participate in an athletics event in Pakistan. He was invited to take part in the 200m event at an International Athletic competition in Lahore, Pakistan. Ever since that traumatic partition experience of fleeing to India from Pakistan, where he had lost his parents and three of his siblings in the partition violence, Milkha Singh had not been to Pakistan, where he was born. The trauma of the partition, which he had witnessed while fleeing from Pakistan to India, haunted him badly and therefore Milkha Singh, initially refused to go to Pakistan to take part in this event. However, he eventually did go to Pakistan. The local hero - Pakistan's Abdul Khaliq, was one of his main opponents in the race. Despite the thunderous and roaring support from the local audience in the stadium for Abdul Khaliq, Milkha Singh went on to win that race, while Khaliq took the bronze medal. The race was also witnessed by General, Ayub Khan, Pakistan's second president, who awarded Milkha Singh and other winners their medals. It was here that Singh received the nickname that would stick with him for the rest of his life. In one of the interviews Milkha Singh recalled that Gen. Ayub said to him “ Milkha, you came to Pakistan and did not run. You actually flew in Pakistan. Pakistan bestows upon you the title of the Flying Sikh.' If Milkha Singh is known as the Flying Sikh in the whole world today, the credit goes to General Ayub and to Pakistan," Singh had told the BBC later. In this very interview he also said that even though he never won an Olympic medal, his only wish was that "someone else should win that medal for India".
Bollywood is one platform which always looks for a plot to make Merry at the box office and one story that appealed to the industry was that of the legendary Milkha Singh. Those words Bhag Milkha Bhag, which remained etched in the young mind of Milkha Singh became a befitting title for the biographical film on the Flying Sikh, which was produced by Rajiv Tandon and Director by Rakesh Mishra. The script for this film was written by Prasoon Joshi and Farhan Akhtar played the role of the protagonist and brought the life and works of Milkha Singh to the people of India in melodramatic way thus heralding the success of Milkha Singh to Indians. It was therefore no wonder that the whole of the Bollywood industry joined the PM and others in expressing their sorrow at the demise of Milkha Singh. Farhan Akhtar, who played the role of Milkha Singh in the film, said that he had spent a lot of time with him and got to know Singh personally while playing the lead role in the 2013 biopic ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’. He added “ A part of me is still refusing to accept that you are no more. Maybe it's the stubborn side I inherited from you...the side that when it sets it's mind on something, just never gives up. And the truth is that you will always be alive”. All those who have known Milkha Singh, have described him as a large-hearted and down-to-earth man, who exemplified and showed that hard work, honesty and determination one can touch the sky and realise ones dream and aspirations.
The Covid 19 pandemic has rampaged the world and taken away many a precious lives and that most unfortunately included Milkha Singh and his wife as well. Milkha Singh was admitted to the ICU at the Covid-19 Hospital of Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh with Covid symptoms and dipping oxygen levels on June 3. He managed to recover from Covid while his wife had succumbed to it. However, due to post- Covid complications, Milkha Singh was shifted out of Covid Hospital to medical ICU at PHIMER. Despite the best of efforts by the medical team, Milkha Singh could not recover from his critical condition and after a brave fight, he left for his heavenly abode at 11.30 pm on 18th June 2021. His death was announced by Prof. Jagat Ram, Director, PGIMER who also expressed his deepest condolences on the sad demise of this 'most revered' sporting icon, who he said will be remembered for his exceptional accomplishments on and off the field and his endearing and humane personality.
Last Sunday, 13th June, wife and life time companion of Milkha Singh, Mrs. Nirmal Kaur, who was also a former national volleyball captain, had died due to Covid complications. His family members issued a statement, which read “He fought hard but God has his ways and it was perhaps true love and companionship that both our mother Nirmal ji and now Dad have passed away in a matter of 5 days”. An era has ended with the passing away of Milkha Singh but his legacy will leave on for eternity and will continue to inspire generations of new athletes to follow his path.
Long live Milkha Singh. Rest in Peace.
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