The Flying Sikh - Milkha Singh
Full Name : Milkha Singh
Nickname(s): The Flying Sikh
Spouse : Nirmal Kaur
Children : Jeev Milkha Singh
Gender : Male
Height : 5'8" (172 cm)
Weight : 146 lbs (66 kg)
Born : October 17, 1935 (Age 78) in Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan
Country : IND India
Sport : Athleticsv
Occupation : Track and field athlete
Employer : Retired; formerly of the Indian Army and Government of Punjab, India
Religion : Sikh
Sardar Milkha Singh is the greatest living Sikh Athlete. Born in a family of modest means, joining the army and then discovering the penchant for running and winning is his life in summation. milkha singh at 1960 Olympics. He deservedly got an epithet named "Flying Sikh" from Pakistan General Ayub Khan. Till date (Until 2000 Sydney Olympics) the 'Flying Sikh' is the only Indian to have broken an Olympic record. Unfortunately, he was the fourth athlete to reset the mark and thus missed the bronze medal in the 400m event at the Rome Olympics in 1960.
For the man who won 77 of the 80 races he ran, Milkha Singh has no medals. It has been some years that 'The Flying Sikh' donated his sporting treasures to the nation. No personal souvenirs line his living room walls, no trophies sit on the mantle. Instead, the walls make do with pictures of the surgeon in America who saved his wife's life and Havildar Bikram Singh, a Kargil martyr. "I have given permission that my medals be transferred from the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in New Delhi to the sports museum in Patiala," says the 72-year-old Singh. Strangely, the stadium gallery lined with many of India's sporting talent does not have a single picture of Milkha Singh. In a country where great sportspersons are few and far between, India has a strange way of honouring its stars.
But Milkha Singh's achievements can do without such testimony. "The people of this country remember me. I may have started dyeing my beard but I am recognised at airports, railway stations -- anywhere. School textbooks have chapters on me, and somehow the sobriquet 'The Flying Sikh' has endured in people's memory," he says. Singh, however, has no complaints about the recognition given to him by the government. A Padma Shri and Arjuna Award winner, the legendary athlete who started his career on a Rs 10 wage went on to become director, sports, ministry of education in the Punjab government. "I have received more than I deserved."
It was a hard uphill climb for the refugee from Muzaffargarh in west Pakistan. The Partition massacres of 1947 took the lives of his parents and Singh was rejected by the army thrice. He subsequently enrolled in the army's electrical mechanical engineering branch in 1952 when his brother Malkhan Singh put in a word for him, and experienced his first sport outing at its athletics meet a fortnight later. "That was the first time I saw a ground bedecked with flags," reminisces Singh. "I later participated in a crosscountry race with 300 to 400 jawans. And sat down after the first half mile before starting again -- that was my first race."
Determined to be the best and realising his talent as a sprinter, the jawan took to training five hours every day.milkha singh at 1960 Olympics Motivated by his coach Havildar Gurdev Singh, he left it to the elements to hone his craft -- running on the hills, the sands of the Yamuna river, and against the speed of a metre gauge train. He says so intense was his training that very often he vomitted blood and would collapse in exhaustion.Every morning Milkha Singh still goes for a jog by the Sukhna lake in Chandigarh. Most afternoons are spent playing golf and he uses the gym in his house regularly. "Discipline. You have to be disciplined if you want to be world class," he says, "That's what I tell my son Jeev. I give him the example of Tiger Woods, and hope he would bring the medal I couldn't." Jeev Milkha Singh, India's best golfer, was recently awarded the Arjuna Award and is striving to make a mark on the international golf circuit. Whether he does manage to bring the sporting glory that eluded his father, is yet to be seen. Till then, it is a disappointment that Milkha Singh will never forget. Forty years on, that failure in Rome still haunts him. 1960. The Olympics at Rome
After clocking a world record 45.8 seconds in one of the 400 metres preliminaries in France, Milkha Singh finished fourth in a photofinish in the Olympics final. The favourite for gold had missed the bronze. By a fraction... "Since it was a photofinish, the announcements were held up. The suspense was excruciating. I knew what my fatal error was: After running perilously fast in lane five, I slowed down at 250 metres. I could not cover the lost ground after that -- and that cost me the race." "After the death of my parents, that is my worst memory," says Singh, "I kept crying for days." Dejected by his defeat, he made up his mind to give up sport. It was after much persuasion that he took to athletics again. Two years later, Milkha Singh won two medals at the 1962 Asian Games. But by then his golden period was over.
It was between 1958 and 1960 that Milkha Singh saw the height of glory. From setting a new record in the 200 and 400 metres at the Cuttack National Games, he won two gold medals at the Asian Games at Tokyo. The lean Sikh went on to win gold at the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, and was awarded the Helms trophy or being the best athlete in 1959.
Three years before the Indo-Pak war of 1965, Milkha Singh ran that one race which made President Ayub Khan christen him 'The Flying Sikh.' His defeat of Pakistan's leading athlete and winner of the 100 metres gold at the Tokyo Asiad, Abdul Khaliq, earned him India's bestknown sports sobriquet. "It has stuck since," he adds.
Thirtysix years later, Britain's Ann Packer remembers him too. This time for his camaraderie. Jittery about her performance in the 800 metres against formidable French German and Hungarian athletes in the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, Packer clearly remembered her encounter with Singh in the lift they shared on the day of her event. 'Ann you vill win,' she recounted Singh's words to a The Sunday Times journalist at her home in Cheshire recently. And vin she did. Packer clocked 2min 1.1 sec and set a new world record. Singh was among the first to congratulate her.
There are many who still congratulate Milkha Singh. "Sirji, I remember seeing you when I was a young recruit in the army," said Gairwar Singh as he chanced upon the former athlete getting into his car outside the Chandigarh Golf Club. Elated that Singh stops to shake hands with him, Gairwar Singh -- now a driver with a transport company in Delhi -- tells him about his interest in wrestling. "It is appreciation from the people that helps me go ahead at this age," Singh had earlier said at his home in Sector 8, Chandigarh. With two of his daughters married and one away in the United States, and his son travelling around the world regularly --
"We owe it to those who have died for the honour of our country," he says, "Unlike our cricketers who have sold our country." Deeply disappointed with these ambassadors of India's most popular game, he firmly believes the guilty should be punished. "They cannot mock the aspirations of an entire nation," says Singh surveying the debris of many a fallen sporting icon.
Decades after he hung up his running shoes, one thing is for sure -- the Flying Sikh still stands tall. 'He has been a great source of inspiration'
Jeev Milkha Singh on his father
(Jeev Milkha Singh's interview by Onkar Singh )
Whenever I look at Milkha Singh, I see a dedicated and determined human being. He enforced strict discipline in me in particular and was very tough at times. He wanted me to become a better golfer. There is no way I can match him in any manner. I have always looked up to him for what he has done for the country. He is a great motivator and if anyone takes his advice he is bound to excel in life. I was not even born when he quit running. This is my biggest misfortune. Of course, I have seen him jogging on the golf course to warm up before a game. I have watched some of the documentaries made on him and I am really impressed. It was nice to see him in action. To realise that 'The Flying Sikh' is none else than my father. I wish I had seen him participate in a competitive race in a stadium though, than see him on film.
I was 11 when I went to boarding school in Shimla. I had hardly entered my classroom when I heard a boy telling another boy that I was Milkha Singh's son. When I heard this, I realised my father was a big name in Indian sport. Till then it had never ever dawned on me that he is a legend. He is a frank human being, a no-nonsense man, who does not take no for an answer. At 72, he still has the same drive. When I play golf with him, he wants to beat me. The zeal to be better than his opponent is still there. Like great athletes he believes there is nothing in the world you cannot achieve provided you have the will to do so.
If I were asked to list five of his great qualities, I would say he is honest, focussed and knows his goals. He has the determination to achieve his goals and has great motivation skills. Even an ordinary player can be moulded into a good one under his guidance. Last, but not least, he is a very disciplined human being. He says if you have achieved one goal, then you should set your eyes on higher goals and continue your drive to do better and better. "If you have become the best in Asia, then you should try to be the best in the world" is what he tells me all the time.
He wanted me to become an athlete. But I wanted to play golf like he did after giving up athletics. He told me he had nothing against my playing golf. But he told me, "Son it is no use playing golf if you are not going to be the best. Whatever game you may play, you have to prove that nobody can beat you." When I am not doing well, he encourages me to do well. He has been a great source of inspiration.
But even Milkha Singh has his regret. Even now, he cannot forget the 400 metres at the Rome Olympics where he finished fourth in one of the most competitive races -- all four runners broke the world record and finished the race in four minutes. He is going to die with this regret at the back of his mind. Sometimes he becomes very emotional about this. Milkha Singh is born once in many generations. I am lucky to have been born in his family and watch him from close quarters as his son.
Awards and achievements
1) Gold Medal - 1958 Commonwealth Games - 400 m
2) Gold Medal - 1958 Asian Games - 200 m and 400 m
3) Gold Medal - 1962 Asian Games
4) Padma Shri – 1958
5) Helms World Trophy – 1959
25 Facts about Milkha Singh flying Sikh Milkha Singh
Name – Milkha Singh also known as The Flying Sikh
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Birth Date - 17 October 1935, Lyallpur, Punjab, British India or Faisalabad (formarly Layallpur), Pakistan
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Nationality - Indian
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Occupation - Track and field athlete
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Height - 5'8" (172 cm)
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Spouse Name - He married to former captain of Indian Women Volleyball team, Nirmal Kaur
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Children - Jeev Milkha Singh
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As of 2013, he is the only Indian male athlete to win an individual athletics Gold in Commonwealth Games.
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He lost his parents in the riots that followed the Indo-Pak partition.
He saw his parents and relatives being killed in front of his eyes during the Indo-Pak partition Massacre.
A 12 year old Milkha escaped for his life and came to India
He used to walk barefoot 10 km from his village to a school in Kot Addu tehsil.
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Once, he was caught for travelling on a train without a ticket.
He was sent to Tihar Jail and was only released after his sister sold some jewellery to get him out.
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He wanted to join the Indian Army but was rejected thrice.
He finally got in the fourth time after he enrolled in the engineering department.
He joined the EME Centre in Secunderabad in 1951.
It was here that his talent as an athlete was discovered.
Singh trained hard, often racing against the meter-gauge trains that went past Secunderabad.
He used to practice at night.
When his superior officers saw his talent, they converted his "fatigue time" (time when jawans do odd jobs) into his training time.
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In fact, another celebrated runner, Paan Singh Tomar, on whose life Tigmanshu Dhulia made a film, was Singh's junior.
The Sikh apparently once defeated Tomar in a long-distance race.
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His first competitive event was a cross-country race where he finished sixth among 500 runners.
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In 1953, Singh joined the services after graduating from EME Centre.
After joining, Milkha Singh began training for a 400 meters race.
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He represented India in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics
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1958-
He won gold medals in both the 200m and 400m events at the 1958 Asian Games, clocking 21.6 seconds, and 47 seconds respectively.
He won a gold medal in the 400m competition at the 1958 Cardiff Commonwealth Games, clocking a time of 46.16 seconds and became the first gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games from independent India.
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1960 –
At the 1960 Olympics in Rome, he finished second in all of his 400m races prior to the final,
In the final event he set off strongly to the fore but was overhauled by the field and finished in fourth place
He lost the Bronze Medal in the 400m event at Rome Olympics Games 1960 by just 0.1 seconds.
Prior to the start of the event, Milkha was the favorite to clinch the gold medal and in the finals, he was among the leaders right after the start.
However, a costly mistake when he slowed down in the final 250 meters, proved to be the fractional difference between him and the eventual bronze medallist.
Such was his mental state that he cried for days after the agonizing defeat.
Even today he hasn`t been able to wipe out the bitter memory of the Rome Olympics.
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Milkha Singh got name - Flying Sikh
During the 1950s, Singh's biggest rival was Abdul Khaliq, a runner from Pakistan.. In 1960, Pakistan invited him to compete in Pakistan but, scarred by the trauma of Partition, Singh refused.
It was only after then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru convinced him to go that Singh went to Pakistan.
One of the spectators who turned up to see Khaliq and Singh compete was General Ayub Khan. Singh won the race, and when Khan was giving away the medals, he told Singh, "You didn't run today, you flew." The Flying Singh nickname caught on from then.
Milkha Singh defeated the Fastest Pakistani runner Abdul Khaliq who had won a 100m Gold Medal at Tokyo Asian Games 1958 in the year 1962, and the Pakistani President Ayub Khan named him ‘The Flying Sikh
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Post retirement, Milkha Singh was appointed the Director of Sports in Punjab.
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His life story is the basis of a forthcoming biographical film, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag starring Farhan Akhtar and Sonam Kapoor.
Milkah Singh has also sold his Biography to Mehra for Re.1
Filmmaker also agreed that about 10 per cent of the movie's profits would go to the Milkha Singh Charitable Trust.
Singh claims that he has not seen a single movie since 1968.
Yet when he saw Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, he was moved to tears and told actor Farhan Akhtar, who plays him in the biopic, "You are a duplicate copy of Milkha Singh."
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Milkha Singh has recently penned his autobiography entitled, The Race of My Life with his daughter Sonia Sanwalka, to be published by Rupa & Co., in August 2013
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Milkha Singh and Arjuna Award –
Milkha Singh, probably the most celebrated Indian athlete of all times, refused to accept the Arjuna Award for lifetime contribution, saying: “I have been clubbed with sportspersons who are nowhere near the level that I had achieved”.
Milkha Singh said that Arjuna Awards, instituted in 1961, were being given to those who did not deserve them. “I am against this award itself and the way it is awarded”. He said he was of the view that the national sports awards like the Arjuna should be decided by specialists who had a deep understanding of the subject.
It is of no use giving such awards to such persons who might produce one freak performance during their lifetime ,’’
He also alleged that athletes took to drugs to perform better at home ‘‘but once they go abroad they are totally exposed since abroad all athletes are tested for drugs.’’
Milkha Singh wrote in the letter. The “prestige of the award has gone down. I will get a bad name if I accept it,” Milkha Singh said, adding, “it is surprising that organizers of Asian and other games have also been honored with national awards, especially after the 1982 Delhi Asian Games.’’
Milkha Singh said that “after the Padma Shri in 1958, the Arjuna Award in 2001 looks as if the government is trying to give me a matric certificate after an MA degree.
The Arjuna Award, least to say, could have been given to me in 1961 when it was first instituted
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Milkha Singh ran 80 races all over the world winning 77, He was awarded the Helms World Trophy in 1959 by the USA by virtue of being the best 400-metre runner in the world and broke the Olympic record in the 1960 Rome Olympics.
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82-Year-old Milkha Singh told to PTI –
“My last desire before I leave this world is that I want an Indian boy or a girl wins an Olympic gold medal for the country and for my sake.
I failed to win it in Rome Olympics in 1960
“After 2-3 years, I may be no more.
Just a few days back my dear friend Dara Singh, who was like a brother to me, passed away. Whether I will live for next few years more, it is up to God. I want to see an Indian win an Olympic gold in athletics
Since India gained Independence, only five reached the finals in athletics event and all failed to win a medal
1) Milkha Singh
2 )Gurbachan Singh Randhawa (1964)
3) Shri Ram Singh (1976)
4) PT Usha (1984)
5) Anju George.
Milkha Singh told to media that
I feel ashamed that after 1947 we produced a number of athletes, but failed to win any medal
25 Facts about Milkha Singh Short Biography of flying Sikh Milkha Singh
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