Covid 19 has taken one more life. This time that of a legendary sportsman of India – Milkha Singh, the internatiinally acclaimed Indian athlete, and an Asian gold medalist, popularly generally known as ‘Flying Singh’died simply hours in the past on the age of 91 in Chandigarh. This after he had conquered Corona and already examined adverse.
What is much more unhappy is the truth that simply 5 days again, on Sunday, June thirteenth, Nirmal Milkha Singh, former Indian volleyball captain and Milkha Singh’s spouse additionally breathed her final after affected by COVID-19 and battling the virus for fairly 19 days at a hospital in Mohali. She was 85 years outdated. Ironically, on the very same day, Milkha Singh examined adverse after his therapy.
But earlier immediately, a press release from the hospital the place Milkha Singh was being handled learn, ” Milkha Singh ji was admitted in the ICU of COVID Hospital of PGI-MER 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, because of post-COVID issues, he was shifted out of COVID Hospital to medical ICU. But regardless of higher of the efforts by the medical crew, Milkha Singh ji could not be retrieved from his crucial situation and after a courageous struggle, he left for his heavenly abode at 11.30 pm on 18th June 2021.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he is anguished by Milkha Singh’s death. IN a tribute to Milkha Singh on Twitter PM Modi wrote, “In the loss of life of Shri Milkha Singh Ji, we have misplaced an enormous sportsperson, who captured the nation’s creativeness and had a particular place throughout the hearts of numerous Indians. His inspiring character endeared himself to hundreds of thousands. Anguished by his passing away.”
Milkha Singh, who was born in Gobindpura now in present-day Pakistan on November 30, 1928, had become the primary Indian athlete to win gold within the then British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff in 1958 – a record which stood for more than 50 years.
IN 2013, director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra made a highly successful biography on Milkha Singh called Bhaag Milkha Bhaag starring Farhan Akhtar in the title role. It became the fifth highest grossing film of the year.
Milkha Singh – one among independent India’s biggest sporting icons was a tormented man but refused to let that are available the way of accomplishments which were unprecedented in his era.
He saw his parents being butchered in front of his eyes during partition, indulged in petty crimes to survive in refugee camps of Delhi, went to jail for those and failed three attempts at joining the Army. But his sporting genious and unmatched ability to sprint like he was flying, made him one the best athelete that India has ever produced.
Padmi Shri Award Winner Milkha Singh is survived by three daughters – Mona Singh, Aleeza Grover and Sonia Sanwalka as well as son Jeev Milkha Singh. Jeev Milkha Singh, a 14-time international winner, is a Padma Shri awardee like his father and had been coordinating with the medical staff at the hospital along with elder sister Dr Mona Singh since last month. In 1999, Milkha Singh adopted the seven-year-old son of Havildar Bikram Singh, who had died within the Battle of Tiger Hill.
In 2019, Singh had celebrated his 90th birthday with relations at his Sector 8 residence in Chandigarh. It was quite stunning that an athlete of Milkha’s stature was offered the Arjuna award, instituted in 1961, only in 2001.
He famously turned it down, saying the honour wasn’t of the “stature of the providers he rendered to the nation”.
In fact, Milkha was a sum of far more than his several races and medals. And as a beautifully written article in the Hindustan Times concludes, “He was India’s love affair with the monitor, the one which this nation can by no means recover from.”
