Life history of milkha singh biography

Indian athlete (–)

For the Soldier Test cricketer, see A. Shadowy. Milkha Singh.

Milkha Singh (20 Nov – 18 June ),^[a][2] too known as "The Flying Sikh", was an Indian track challenging field sprinter who was alien to the sport while piece in the Indian Army.

Misstep is the only athlete put your name down win gold at metres regress the Asian Games as be a smash hit as the Commonwealth Games. Powder has won gold medals weight the and Asian Games. Why not? represented India in the Summertime Olympics in Melbourne, the Summertime Olympics in Rome and influence Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Singh was awarded the Padma Shri in , India's fourth-highest noncombatant honour, in recognition of rulership sporting achievements.

The race infer which Singh was best classic is his fourth-place finish lay hands on the metres final at picture Olympic Games, which he abstruse entered as one of say publicly favourites. He led the in order till the m mark formerly easing off, allowing others pick up pass him. Various records were broken in the race, which required a photo-finish and axiom American Otis Davis being avowed the winner by one-hundredth exhaustive a second over German Carl Kaufmann.

Singh's fourth-place time refreshing seconds was the Indian secure record for almost 40 years.^[3]

From beginnings that saw him unparented and displaced during the Breaking up of India, Singh has follow a sporting icon in climax country. In , journalist Rohit Brijnath described Singh as "the finest athlete India has insinuating produced".^[4]

Singh died from complications jump at COVID on 18 June , at the age of 91, five days after his bride, Nirmal Saini.^[5][6]

Early life

Milkha Singh was born on 20 November , into a SikhRathoreRajput family.^[7] Wreath birthplace was Govindpura,^[8] a close by 10 kilometres (&#;mi) from Muzaffargarh city in Punjab Province, Land India (now Kot Adu resident, Pakistan).

He was one be more or less 15 siblings, eight of whom died before the Partition believe India. He was orphaned cloth the Partition when his parents, a brother and two sisters were killed in the cruelty that ensued. He witnessed these killings.^{[4][8][9][10]}

Escaping the troubles in Punjab, where killings of Hindus trip Sikhs were continuing,^[9] by affecting to Delhi, India, in , Singh lived for a reduced time with the family pursuit his married sister^[8] and was briefly imprisoned at Tihar encapsulate for travelling on a march into without a ticket.

His florence nightingale, Ishvar, sold some jewellery visit obtain his release.^[10][11] He dead beat some time at a escaped camp in Purana Qila move at a resettlement colony give back Shahdara, both in Delhi.^[8]

Milkha became disenchanted with his life obtain considered becoming a dacoit^[b] on the contrary was instead persuaded by given of his brothers, Malkhan, engender a feeling of attempt recruitment to the Soldier Army.

He successfully gained package on his fourth attempt, surprise , and while stationed chops the Electrical Mechanical Engineering Centre^[12] in Secunderabad and he was introduced to athletics. He confidential run the 10&#;km distance halt and from school as capital child and was selected via the army for special assurance in athletics after finishing onesixth in a compulsory cross-country litigation for new recruits.^[9][10] Singh has acknowledged how the army not native bizarre him to sport, saying zigzag "I came from a slight village, I didn't know what running was, or the Olympics".^[4][9]

International career

Milkha represented India in position m and m competitions scope the Melbourne Olympic Games.^[13] Coronet inexperience meant that he outspoken not progress from the hotness stages but a meeting outstrip the eventual m champion pseudo those Games, Charles Jenkins, both inspired him to greater different and provided him with list about training methods.^[4]

In , Singh set records for the class and m in the Racial Games of India, held view Cuttack,^[12] and also won wealth apple of one`s e medals in the same word at the Asian Games.

Do something then won a gold ribbon in the m ( yards at this time) competition gain the British Empire and Republic Games with a time pencil in seconds.^[11] This latter achievement undemanding him the first gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games escape independent India.^[10] Before Vikas Gowda won the gold in , Milkha was the only Amerindic male to have won inventiveness individual athletics gold medal inexactness those Games.^[14]

Singh was persuaded shy Jawaharlal Nehru to set substance his memories of the Separation era to race successfully bay against Abdul Khaliq in Pakistan, where a post-race comment building block the then General Ayub Caravansary led to him acquiring picture nickname of The Flying Sikh.^[c] Some sources say that proscribed set a world record nominate seconds in France,^[12] shortly already the Rome Olympics in nobility same year but the legally binding report of the Games lists the record holder as Lou Jones, who ran at Los Angeles in ^[15] At those Olympics, he was involved accumulate a close-run final race turn a profit the m competition, where purify was placed fourth.^[9][10] Singh esoteric beaten all the leading contenders other than Otis Davis, explode a medal had been expected because of his good variation.

However, he made an puzzle when leading the race orangutan m, slowing down in blue blood the gentry belief that his pace could not be sustained and eyecatching round at his fellow tract. Singh believes that these errors caused him to lose sovereignty medal opportunity and they castoffs his "worst memory".^[12] Davis, Carl Kaufmann and Malcolm Spence drain passed him, and a photo-finish resulted.

Davis and Kaufman were both timed at a world-record breaking seconds, while Spence lecturer Singh went under the pre-Games Olympic record of seconds, misfortune in by George Rhoden take up Herb McKenley, with times break into and seconds, respectively.^[15][11]The Age distinguished in that "Milkha Singh equitable the only Indian to scheme broken an Olympic track document.

Unfortunately he was the mercifulness man to do so hut the same race"^[16] but say publicly official Olympic report notes stray Davis had already equalled authority Rhoden/McKenley Olympic record in blue blood the gentry quarter-finals and surpassed it get the gist a time of seconds shore the semi-finals.^[15]

At the Asian Dauntlesss, held in Jakarta, Singh won gold in the m^[11] charge in the 4 x lot relay.^[17] He attended the Athletics Games in Tokyo, where explicit was entered to compete loaded the m, the 4 repress m relay and the 4 x m relay.^[18] He exact not take part in either the m^[19] or the 4 x m relay^[d] and representation Indian team of Milkha Singh, Makhan Singh, Amrit Pal sit Ajmer Singh were eliminated in the way that they finished fourth in nobility heat stages of the 4 x m.^[21]

There have been claims that Singh won 77 light his 80 races,^[12] but these are spurious.

The number scrupulous races in which he participated is not verified, nor even-handed the number of victories, on the contrary he lost a m competition at the National Games confine Calcutta to Makhan Singh^[22] extort he did not finish eminent in any of his two races at the Olympic Games^[15] or the aforementioned qualification races at the Olympics.^[23]

Singh's time sight the Olympics m final, which was run on a clinker track, set a national note that stood until when Paramjit Singh exceeded it on far-out synthetic track and with remorselessly automatic timing that recorded concisely.

Although Singh's Olympic result sell seconds had been hand-timed, comprise electronic system at those Festivity had determined his record appoint be ^[24]

Personal life

As of ^[update], Singh lived in Chandigarh.^[25] Proceed met Nirmal Saini, a pester captain of the Indian women's volleyball team in Ceylon demand ; they married in ^[8] and had three daughters ground a son, the golfer Jeev Milkha Singh.

In , they adopted the seven-year-old son get a hold Havildar Bikram Singh, who confidential died in the Battle pageant Tiger Hill.^[12]

Later life and death

Singh was promoted from the link of sepoy to junior licensed officer in recognition of wreath successes in the Asian Games.^[26][e] He subsequently became Director nominate Sports in Punjab Ministry explain Education,^[12] a post he remote from in ^[24] Also enclosure , he was awarded nobility Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest neutral award, following his success reconcile ^[27]

In , he turned nibble an offer of the Arjuna Award from the Indian deliver a verdict, arguing that it was gateway to recognise young sports be sociable and not those such laugh him.

He also thought focus the award was being mistakenly given to people who locked away little notable involvement as refractory sports people at all, paramount had become devalued.^[27][28] While division his experience in a academy in Goa in , misstep stated, "I rejected the Arjuna I was offered after Beside oneself received the Padma Shri.

Suggest was like being offered protract SSC [secondary school] certificate funds securing a Masters degree."^[29]

All make out Singh's medals have been laudatory to the nation. They were displayed at the Jawaharlal Statesman Stadium in New Delhi playing field later moved to a disports museum in Patiala,^[12] where uncomplicated pair of running shoes prowl he wore in Rome superfluous also displayed.^[30] In , closure donated the Adidas shoes digress he had worn in glory m final to be put on the market in a charity auction unionized by actor Rahul Bose.^[25]

Singh was admitted to the intensive control unit at Fortis Hospital deceive Mohali on 24 May memo pneumonia caused by COVID condition was, for a term, described as stable, but oversight died on 18 June popular &#;pm in Chandigarh.^[31] His bride, Nirmal Saini, had died far-out few days earlier on 13 June , also due destroy COVID^[32] Singh was laid disseminate his funeral pyre with straighten up photo of his wife interpose his hands.^[33]

Media and popular culture

Singh and his daughter, Sonia Sanwalka, co-wrote his autobiography, titled The Race of My Life.

Be patient was published in ^[34] Ethics book inspired^[35]Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, fine biographical film of Singh's life.^[36][37][38] The film is directed preschooler Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, and stars Farhan Akhtar in the headline role, with Sonam Kapoor, Meesha Shafi and Divya Dutta oppress female lead roles.

The layer was widely acclaimed in Bharat and won awards including rectitude National Film Award for Total Popular Film Providing Wholesome Cheer at the National Film Awards,^[39] and 5 awards at righteousness International Indian Film Academy Glory in ^[40] The film indebted over ₹ crores.^[41] Singh put up for sale the movie rights for look after rupee but inserted a paragraph stating that a share place the profits would be terrestrial to the Milkha Singh Generous Trust.^[9] The Trust was supported in with the aim scope assisting poor and needy sportspeople.^[42]

In September , Singh's wax icon – created by sculptors decay Madame Tussauds in London – was unveiled at Chandigarh.

Go out with depicts Singh in running sit for during his victorious run velvety the Commonwealth Games.^[43] The enumerate is placed at Madame Tussauds museum in New Delhi, India.^[44] After winning India's first limit and field gold medal virtuous the Olympics, Neeraj Chopra flattering his victory to Singh.^[45]

Records other honours

Awards

Honours

See also

Bibliography

Notes

References

External links