By Prabhjot Singh

In 1958 when the then Prime Minister Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru asked Milkha Singh what he wanted for becoming the first Indian to win an individual gold medal in athletics in the Cardiff Commonwealth Games, the ace sprinter requested a “national holiday” in the country. And 63 years later, on Friday night, he himself embarked upon a long holiday leaving not only the entire nation but the whole sporting world sobbing and grieving.

He was christened “Flying Sikh” by the Martial Law Administrator of Pakistan, General Ayub Khan, after he set the stands of a Lahore stadium ablaze by defeating the local hero, Akhlaq, who was better known as “Ghorra” (horse), in a great sprint contest.

A victim of the 1947 partition, Milkha Singh, was successful in joining Indian Army at a recruitment rally in Srinagar. Running was his passion, and he would work hard to be the best. And true to himself, his training and his ambition, he remained the best to make sure that there could be no two “Milkhas”.

After winning a gold at Cardiff, Milkha went on to win a double in the 1958 Asian Games before his memorable record-smashing run at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games where he missed a medal by a whisker. And that remained his greatest regret. Ahead of all his competitors, Milkha, close to the finish line, made a mistake of looking back. And that cost him heavily. Instead of a podium finish, he was placed fourth.

 When the then Punjab Chief Minister Partap Singh Kairon asked him to come out of Indian Army and join the State Government in its Sports Department, he reluctantly accepted the offer. Initially, he would travel between Delhi and Chandigarh every day before making the City Beautiful his permanent home.

In between he had met Nirmal Saini, an outstanding volleyball player, who was working as a Physical Education teacher in a Punjab college. Ultimately, they married.

Milkha Singh, who by then had become world famous as “Flying Sikh” took control of school sports in the Education Department of the State while Hockey Olympian Balbir Singh was in the State sports department.

It may be a mere coincidence that the three greats of Punjab Sports – Balbir Singh Sr, Flying Sikh Milkha Singh and Nirmal Milkha Singh – had worked together.

As luck would have it, Milkha Singh could not attend the cremation of his life partner as at that time he was fighting for his own life at the PGI. The end came five days after his wife had breathed her last at a private hospital in Mohali.

Known for their robust health and fitness, both great stalwarts were lost to Corona, sad indeed. While Milkha Singh was 91, Nirmal was 85.

Milkha Singh as Additional Director, Youth Services and Sports in the Education Department, used to take hundreds of schoolboys and girls to Srinagar every year for the summer (off season) coaching camps. That was the reason that Punjab remained at top in school sports.

A born runner, Milkha Singh was always a sportsman. After retiring from athletics, he took to golf and was an accomplished golfer. His son, Jeev, too, is a star golfer.

Besides Jeev, Milkha and Nirmal leave behind three daughters – Aleeza (she was with Air India), Dr Mona and Sonia – and their families.

(Prabhjot Singh is a senior journalist)