Remembering 'Flying Sikh' Milkha Singh 

From the archives of Milkha's little-known autobiography: Flying Sikh, Milkha Singh, which was published first in Punjabi in 1970 and later translated into Hindi in 1977 and in English in early 80s, we are bringing you the life of legendary athlete from witnessing tragedy, deprivation, survival against all odds and victory in the face of loss. The pre-partition and post-partition erae and making of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.

The legendary athlete lost the battle to COVID on Friday. It was within a span of five days, when his wife Nirmal Kaur breathed her last, Milkha passed away. He was 91. 

Flashback

A shattered childhood

When Milkha recalls his painful past, he still has no idea when he was born, though he mentions in his autobiography that he must have been around 14-15 years old at the time of Partition. The only memories that continue to exist in the labyrinths of the athlete’s mind, in his early eighties now, are about his childhood spent in village Gobindpura in Muzaffargarh (Pakistan) and the killings of his parents and four siblings (three brothers and a sister) during pre-Partition riots. He also doesn’t forget how lucky or unlucky (for having lost his closest relations), he is to have survived the massacre.

Of the 2,000 odd villagers in Gobindpura, only a handful survived. In Milkha’s family, his eldest brother Makhan Singh and his wife, two married sisters and Milkha remained.

Next: Taking refuge in a ladies compartment