"Flying Sikh" Milkha Singh's innate resilience led to an illustrious career as a runner
Aug 08, 2023
New Delhi [India], August 8 : Late Indian athlete Milkha Singh had a heart-wrenching tale of the 1947 partition which was explained by Khalsa Vox on Tuesday.
The legendary athlete whose life journey was captured in the film, "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" shares his poignant tale of growing up in Gobindpura, Kot Addu, amidst the turbulent times leading up to the India-Pakistan partition.
At the onset of the India-Pakistan Partition, a frenzied mob attacked Kot Addu, Amidst gunfire and chaos, Milkha Singh witnessed his father being struck down, who urged him to flee for safety with the cry, "Bhaag Milkha, Bhaag".
By daybreak, he had tragically lost his entire family, save for two siblings. Many women, in a desperate attempt, to avoid abduction and abuse by the muslim aggressors, ended their own lives.
Harrowing Escape: fleeing the violence, Singh endured a blood-soaked train ride to Multan, hiding beneath a seat in fear, and later navigated the challengers of a refugee-filled Ferozepur.
In Delhi, amidst poverty, disease outbreaks, and the aftermath of the Partition, Singh showcased resilience-working various jobs, getting arrested and having his sister sell jewellery for his bail.
Despite his traumatic experiences, Singh's innate resilience led to an illustrious career as a runner, earning him the title "The Flying Sikh." Yet, the wounds of Partition remained, visible in his hesitation to return to Pakistan and his emotional recount of the event.
Milkha had a personal best of 20.7 seconds in 200m in Lahore on January 31, 1960. It set him up for a gallant show in the Rome Olympic Games where he clocked a National Record time of 45.6 seconds in the 400m final on September 6. Besides his 1960 Olympic Games heroics, Milkha Singh will be remembered for his victory in the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff. He won gold in the 440-yard sprint in a Games Record time of 46.6 seconds.
