Milkha Singh : Flying Sikh


Milkha Singh was born in 1929 in Gobindpura village in the Muzaffargarh district of Pakistan. He spent most of his childhood in poverty. Singh lost his 14 siblings to poverty poor health and lack of medical attention.

During the 1947 partition, he became an orphan and moved to India. He earned his living by working in a roadside restaurant before joining the army in 1951.

During his military training, he realised his sprinting abilities. Hawaldar Gurudev Singh in 1951 persuaded him to run a cross-country race, as a part of military training.

He practised hard and came to the limelight during the National Games at Patiala in 1956. He broke the 200 m and 400 m records in the National Games at Cuttack in 1958.

He married Nirmal Kaur, a former captain of the Indian Volleyball team, on 5th May 1963, at Pathankot. The couple has three daughters Aleeza Grover, Dr Mona Singh, Sonia Sanwalka, and a son Jeev Milkha Singh.

The veteran athlete succumbed to death on 18th June 2021 from covid related complications at 91.

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