Milkha Singh Dies at 91 post Coronavirus Infection | Find More

Milkha Singh (Photo: Reuters)

Milkha Singh, a renowned Indian sprinter, dies on Friday, 18 June, as a result of post-Covid ailments. He was being treated at Chandigarh’s PGI Medical Hospital. The Indian athlete was tested positive for coronavirus infection on May 19, however, after disclosing that he was asymptomatic, he was kept in-home quarantine at his Chandigarh residence. Tragically, on May 24, the iconic athlete was shifted to the Fortis hospital in Mohali owing to “COVID pneumonia.” Later on June 3, he was transferred to PGI Medical Hospital, where he took his last breath.

The legendary Indian sprinter’s lost his life after five days of his wife Nirmal’s death due to covid complications.

Milkha Singh’s family in a public statement said, “With extreme sadness we bring you the information that Milkha Singh Ji left the world on 18th of June, 2021, around 11:30 PM.”

“He battled bravely, but God has his own ways, and it is possible that true love and companionship were the reasons that both our mother Nirmal ji and now Father died in a span of 5 days,” the family’s statement further added.

Early Life and The Indo-Pak Partition

Milkha Singh, aka “The Flying Sikh,” was born on November 20, 1929. He was born in a Rathore Rajput Sikh family, and his birthplace is a village called Govindpura, 10 kilometers from Muzaffargarh city in Punjab Province of British India (Now Pakistan). Among his 15 siblings, eight got murdered in various communal massacres before the India-Pakistan separation. During the India-Pakistan partition, his parents, a brother, and two sisters were brutally killed in front of his eyes, leaving him orphaned.

In 1947, escaping the bloodshed in Pakistan’s Punjab, where lakhs of Hindus and Sikhs were still being killed, Milkha Singh moved to Delhi, India, as a refugee. He lodged with the family of his married sister for a little time. He was also temporarily imprisoned at Tihar jail for train travel without a ticket. Ishvar, his sister, had to sell some of her jewelry to acquire his freedom. In Delhi, they spent time at a refugee shelter in Purana Qila and a resettlement community in Shahdara.

How Sports and The Indian Army Changed Everything

Milkha Singh felt dishearted with the circumstances of his life and thought of becoming dacoit, but was convinced to join the Indian Army by one of his brothers, Malkhan. He was qualified on his fourth attempt in 1951 and was introduced to sports while deployed at the Electrical Mechanical Engineering Centre in Secunderabad. After coming sixth in a cross-country run for recruits, he was handpicked by the Indian Army for special physical sports training.  “I came from a faraway village. I had no idea of sprinting or what the Olympics is about,” said Singh while explaining how the Indian Army introduced him to sports. With the support of the Indian Army, Singh was able to represent India on various global sports events bagging numerous medals and recognitions, not forgetting the 1960’s Rome Olympics. His sheer passion for sports and lightning-fast speed grabbed him the title of “The Flying Sikh.” Undoubtedly, He will always remain the iconic symbol of Indian Athletics.

Event	Year & Place	Race Type	Medal
British Empire and Common Wealth Games	1958 Cardiff	440 Yards	Gold
Asian Games	1958 Tokyo	200m	Gold
Asian Games	1958 Tokyo	400m	Gold
Asian Games	1962 Jakarta	400m	Gold
Asian Games	1962 Jakarta	4x400m Relay	Gold
National Games of India	1958 Cuttack	200m	Gold
National Games of India	1958 Cuttack	400m	Gold
National Games of India	1964 Calcutta	400m	Silver

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Milkha Singh has lived a life less ordinary. Words cannot express his story, cameras cannot cover his memories, and we cannot imagine his life’s struggles.

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