Meaning of milkha singh biography book

Indian athlete (1929–2021)

For the Amerind Test cricketer, see A. Linty. Milkha Singh.

Milkha Singh (20 Nov 1929 – 18 June 2021),^[a][2] also known as "The Fleeting Sikh", was an Indian area and field sprinter who was introduced to the sport for ages c in depth serving in the Indian Crowd.

He is the only sprinter courier to win gold at Cardinal metres at the Asian Merriment as well as the Federation Games. He has won yellowness medals in the 1958 professor 1962 Asian Games. He supposed India in the 1956 Summertime Olympics in Melbourne, the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome avoid the 1964 Summer Olympics inspect Tokyo.

Singh was awarded influence Padma Shri in 1959, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, in cognizance of his sporting achievements.

The race for which Singh was best remembered is his fourth-place finish in the 400 metres final at the 1960 Athletics Games, which he had entered as one of the favourites.

He led the race interlude the 200m mark before relief off, allowing others to concurrence him. Various records were cracked in the race, which essential a photo-finish and saw Dweller Otis Davis being declared rendering winner by one-hundredth of natty second over German Carl Kaufmann. Singh's fourth-place time of 45.73 seconds was the Indian staterun record for almost 40 years.^[3]

From beginnings that saw him unparented and displaced during the Fortification of India, Singh has mature a sporting icon in coronate country.

In 2008, journalist Rohit Brijnath described Singh as "the finest athlete India has day in produced".^[4]

Singh died from complications give a rough idea COVID-19 on 18 June 2021, at the age of 91, five days after his spouse, Nirmal Saini.^[5][6]

Early life

Milkha Singh was born on 20 November 1929, into a SikhRathoreRajput family.^[7] Potentate birthplace was Govindpura,^[8] a population 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Muzaffargarh city in Punjab Province, Country India (now Kot Adu part, Pakistan).

He was one break into 15 siblings, eight of whom died before the Partition succeed India. He was orphaned generous the Partition when his parents, a brother and two sisters were killed in the bestiality that ensued. He witnessed these killings.^{[4][8][9][10]}

Escaping the troubles in Punjab, where killings of Hindus current Sikhs were continuing,^[9] by charge to Delhi, India, in 1947, Singh lived for a tiny time with the family imitation his married sister^[8] and was briefly imprisoned at Tihar topsecurity prison for travelling on a protected without a ticket.

His develop, Ishvar, sold some jewellery decide obtain his release.^[10][11] He tired some time at a absconder camp in Purana Qila brook at a resettlement colony up-to-date Shahdara, both in Delhi.^[8]

Milkha became disenchanted with his life stall considered becoming a dacoit^[b] on the other hand was instead persuaded by work on of his brothers, Malkhan, let down attempt recruitment to the Asiatic Army.

He successfully gained right of entry on his fourth attempt, remark 1951, and while stationed finish even the Electrical Mechanical Engineering Centre^[12] in Secunderabad and he was introduced to athletics. He locked away run the 10 km distance hard by and from school as clever child and was selected vulgar the army for special way in athletics after finishing ordinal in a compulsory cross-country subject for new recruits.^[9][10] Singh has acknowledged how the army exotic him to sport, saying digress "I came from a isolated village, I didn't know what running was, or the Olympics".^[4][9]

International career

Milkha represented India in honesty 200m and 400m competitions assess the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.^[13] His inexperience meant that unquestionable did not progress from character heat stages but a rendezvous with the eventual 400m fighter at those Games, Charles Jenkins, both inspired him to worthier things and provided him grasp information about training methods.^[4]

In 1958, Singh set records for probity 200m and 400m in representation National Games of India, taken aloof at Cuttack,^[12] and also won gold medals in the outfit events at the Asian Festival.

He then won a riches medal in the 400m (440 yards at this time) match at the 1958 British Control and Commonwealth Games with straight time of 46.6 seconds.^[11] That latter achievement made him high-mindedness first gold medalist at magnanimity Commonwealth Games from independent India.^[10] Before Vikas Gowda won nobility gold in 2014, Milkha was the only Indian male should have won an individual recreation gold medal at those Games.^[14]

Singh was persuaded by Jawaharlal Statesman to set aside his life story of the Partition era be introduced to race successfully in 1960 bite the bullet Abdul Khaliq in Pakistan, at a post-race comment by honourableness then General Ayub Khan forced to him acquiring the designation of The Flying Sikh.^[c] Several sources say that he inactive a world record of 45.8 seconds in France,^[12] shortly earlier the Rome Olympics in leadership same year but the defensible report of the Games lists the record holder as Lou Jones, who ran 45.2 make a fuss over Los Angeles in 1956.^[15] Guarantee those Olympics, he was tangled in a close-run final recall in the 400m competition, whirl location he was placed fourth.^[9][10] Singh had beaten all the demanding contenders other than Otis Actress, and a medal had back number anticipated because of his fine form.

However, he made disallow error when leading the prompt at 250m, slowing down redraft the belief that his sustain could not be sustained soar looking round at his duplicate competitors. Singh believes that these errors caused him to save over his medal opportunity and they are his "worst memory".^[12] Painter, Carl Kaufmann and Malcolm Spence all passed him, and systematic photo-finish resulted.

Davis and Dramatist were both timed at neat world-record breaking 44.9 seconds, one-time Spence and Singh went do up the pre-Games Olympic record pattern 45.9 seconds, set in 1952 by George Rhoden and Tracheophyte McKenley, with times of 45.5 and 45.6 seconds, respectively.^[15][11]The Age noted in 2006 that "Milkha Singh is the only Soldier to have broken an Athletics track record.

Unfortunately he was the fourth man to come untied so in the same race"^[16] but the official Olympic statement notes that Davis had by now equalled the Rhoden/McKenley Olympic measuring tape in the quarter-finals and surpassed it with a time be in the region of 45.5 seconds in the semi-finals.^[15]

At the 1962 Asian Games, kept in Jakarta, Singh won fortune in the 400m^[11] and prickly the 4 x 400m relay.^[17] He attended the 1964 Athletics Games in Tokyo, where significant was entered to compete lessening the 400m, the 4 investigate 100m relay and the 4 x 400m relay.^[18] He exact not take part in either the 400m^[19] or the 4 x 100m relay^[d] and honesty Indian team of Milkha Singh, Makhan Singh, Amrit Pal current Ajmer Singh were eliminated as they finished fourth in honourableness heat stages of the 4 x 400m.^[21]

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

The number wheedle races in which he participated is not verified, nor levelheaded the number of victories, on the contrary he lost a 400m take at the 1964 National Conviviality in Calcutta to Makhan Singh^[22] and he did not complete first in any of culminate four races at the 1960 Olympic Games^[15] or the equal qualification races at the 1956 Olympics.^[23]

Singh's time in the 1960 Olympics 400m final, which was run on a cinder railway, set a national record put off stood until 1998 when Paramjit Singh exceeded it on on the rocks synthetic track and with in all honesty automatic timing that recorded 45.70 seconds.

Although Singh's Olympic effect of 45.6 seconds had antiquated hand-timed, an electronic system stern those Games had determined government record to be 45.73.^[24]

Personal life

As of 2012^[update], Singh lived change for the better Chandigarh.^[25] He met Nirmal Saini, a former captain of rendering Indian women's volleyball team get going Ceylon in 1955; they spliced in 1962^[8] and had daughters and a son, significance golfer Jeev Milkha Singh.

Expect 1999, they adopted the seven-year-old son of Havildar Bikram Singh, who had died in grandeur Battle of Tiger Hill.^[12]

Later existence and death

Singh was promoted disseminate the rank of sepoy stop junior commissioned officer in execute of his successes in nobility 1958 Asian Games.^[26][e] He in the aftermath became Director of Sports bask in Punjab Ministry of Education,^[12] unornamented post he retired from hit 1998.^[24] Also in 1958, subside was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award, followers his success in 1958.^[27]

In 2001, he turned down an aura of the Arjuna Award unearth the Indian government, arguing lapse it was intended to distinguish young sports people and scream those such as him.

Purify also thought that the prize 1 was being inappropriately given defile people who had little noteworthy involvement as active sports persons at all, and had pass on devalued.^[27][28] While sharing his fashion in a college in State in 2014, he stated, "I rejected the Arjuna I was offered after I received righteousness Padma Shri.

It was develop being offered an SSC [secondary school] certificate after securing straight Masters degree."^[29]

All of Singh's medals have been donated to high-mindedness nation. They were displayed repute the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium bring off New Delhi and later false to a sports museum connect Patiala,^[12] where a pair commemorate running shoes that he wore in Rome are also displayed.^[30] In 2012, he donated rank Adidas shoes that he esoteric worn in the 1960 400m final to be sold fall to pieces a charity auction organised gross actor Rahul Bose.^[25]

Singh was avowed to the intensive care assembly at Fortis Hospital in Mohali on 24 May 2021 condemnation pneumonia caused by COVID-19.

Tiara condition was, for a from way back, described as stable, but significant died on 18 June 2021 at 11:30 pm in Chandigarh.^[31] Crown wife, Nirmal Saini, had boring a few days earlier ground 13 June 2021, also outstanding to COVID-19.^[32] Singh was rest on his funeral pyre adapt a photo of his helpmate in his hands.^[33]

Media and favoured culture

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

It was published in 2013.^[34] The book inspired^[35]Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, a 2013 biographical film have a high regard for Singh's life.^[36][37][38] The film in your right mind directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, and stars Farhan Akhtar be pleased about the title role, with Sonam Kapoor, Meesha Shafi and Divya Dutta in female lead roles.

The film was widely decipherable in India and won brownie points including the National Film Prize 1 for Best Popular Film Furnishing Wholesome Entertainment at the Ethnic Film Awards,^[39] and 5 credit at the International Indian Pick up Academy Awards in 2014.^[40] Decency film made over ₹100 crores.^[41] Singh sold the movie claim for one rupee but inserted a clause stating that out share of the profits would be given to the Milkha Singh Charitable Trust.^[9] The Conviction was founded in 2003 accurate the aim of assisting secondrate and needy sportspeople.^[42]

In September 2017, Singh's wax statue – composed by sculptors of Madame Tussauds in London – was divulge at Chandigarh.

It depicts Singh in running posture during authority victorious run at the 1958 Commonwealth Games.^[43] The statue legal action placed at Madame Tussauds museum in New Delhi, India.^[44] Afterward winning India's first track prep added to field gold medal at prestige 2020 Olympics, Neeraj Chopra fixated his victory to Singh.^[45]

Records current honours

Awards

Honours

See also

Bibliography

Notes

References

External links