Last week on Friday, 18 June, India’s track and field legend, Milkha Singh lost his final battle with Covid-19. He died in Chandigarh of complications due to coronavirus disease at the age of 91, after a month-long battle.
A statement issued by the hospital said that "Legendary Indian Sprinter Shri Milkha Singh ji was admitted in the ICU of Covid Hospital of PGIMER on 3rd June 2021 and was treated for Covid there till 13th June when after putting up a valiant battle with Covid, Milkha Singh Ji tested negative. However, due to post-Covid complications, he was shifted out of Covid Hospital to a medical ICU”. His condition had turned critical on Friday evening as he developed complications, including fever and dropping of oxygen saturation level. "But despite best of the efforts by the medical team, Milkha Singh ji could not be retrieved from his critical condition and after a brave fight, he left for his heavenly abode at 11.30 pm on 18th June 2021 here at PGIMER," the statement added. He had tested negative for the virus earlier and was shifted to the general ICU in another block of the hospital.
Prime Minister Modi expressed ‘anguish’ at his passing away.
In a double tragedy, his death came almost a week after his wife Nirmal Kaur, former national volleyball captain, also died after fighting Covid-19 for 3 weeks.
Milkha Singh was a former army man and won several laurels for the country in track and field events across the globe. He won four gold medals for India in the Asian Games, winning the 200 metres and 400-metre races in the 1958 Tokyo Asiad, then won gold medals in the 400 metres and 4x400 metre relay races in the 1962 Jakarta Asiad. A well-known success was winning the historic 400m gold at the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff. Milkha Singh ran in the outermost lane at Cardiff Arms Park as over 70,000 fans watched. He beat the then world record holder, Malcom Spence of South Africa. He received the medal from Queen Elizabeth.
Milkha Singh came close to an Olympic medal. He was unlucky to have missed out as he finished a close fourth in the 400-metre final at the 1960 Rome Olympics, but never dwelt in anger at that one moment when he fatefully looked back that cost him the precious time.
Milkha Singh was India's first sporting superstar. He impressed Pakistan’s General Ayub Khan so much that he gave him the famous title of “Flying Sikh”. Milkha Singh saw much hardship in his life. He suffered the pain of partition. Losing his parents and two brothers in the riots, He reached Ferozepur in a military truck following a journey from Multan aboard a train that was soaked in blood. He found his talent after joining the Army, where he first received training. His firm will, determination and hard work made him a legend on track and a trailblazer in his field. The story of his life has been recorded in a beautiful Bollywood film ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’.
Pakistan’s Abdul Khaliq was Milkha Singh’s arch-rival, often beating him to the ribbon. Milkha Singh thought of him as ‘his shadow’ that sometimes walked ahead, falling back at other times, but ‘twinned forever’, with each inspiring the other to greater achievements. It was when he flew past Abdul Khaliq at a race in Lahore, that he got the sobriquet of the “Flying Sikh”. In a moving tribute in The Indian Express, Abdul Khaliq’s son recalled that his father was given the title of “Flying Bird of Asia” by the then Indian Prime Minister who was Chief Guest during the 1954 Asian Games in Manila, as he watched him win the 100m title.
Milkha Singh was an ardent Yoga practitioner and performed regular exercise and yoga for over 30 years. He celebrated the 6th International Day of Yoga, at the age of 90 by performing various asanas at his home last year. In his message last year, Milkha Singh asked the youngsters to give time to keep their body fit by doing yoga regularly. This year, on International Yoga Day, let us imbibe his message.
