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He didn't run. He used to fly.

Name. Milkha Singh.
The flying Sikh.

He was born in 1935.

A resident of Lyallpur.
Milkha Singh had to..

..leave his house and flee.

And he survived the riots
because of his talent of sprinting.

These were the riots which took
place during India's partition.

Lyallpur is now in Pakistan.

When my parents were
murdered in front of my eyes.

When India and
Pakistan were formed..

..people were in a mad frenzy.
There was bloodshed on both sides.

The last words said by Milkha Singh's 
father were run Milkha run.

He fled from his house.

His life changed
when he joined the army.

Army changed his life.

This happened at a night in 1951..

..when it was announced that
there will be a cross country race.

And around 500 people
would participate in it.

This race finished and
Milkha Singh was in tears..

..because he was one
of the top ten sprinters.

Milkha Singh participated in 
80 international races all over the world.

And won 77 out of 80.
This is a fact.

It is a fact that no
other athlete has won..

..so many international
races till date.

And Milkha Singh became
a big name overnight from nothing.

It is also noteworthy
that Milkha Singh..

..would race with a train.

This was time when meter
gauge trains would run.

And these trains would criss cross 
through the localities of Secundarabad.

While racing with the trains,
Milkha Singh..

..didn't know that
one day he'll start to fly.

And he'll get the
title of the flying Sikh.

Constable Gurdev Singh
guided him in the army.

And Brigadier George
Abrahim who has retired now..

..was the captain
and team manager then.

He also encourged
Milkha Singh a lot.

He said, "Milkha,
you didn't run against Pakistan."

"You went to Pakistan and flew."

"So Pakistan will give you
the title of the flying Sikh."

Milkha Singh represented
India for the first time in 1956..

..in Melbourne Olympics.

This was the time when Milkha Singh 
didn't have the experience..

..that could help him win
a medal at the international level.

And then in the 1958 Asian games..

..Milkha Singh won gold
medals in 200 and 400 meters.

And then once again Milkha
Singh won a gold medal..

..in the 400 meter race in
Cardiff Commonwealth games in 1958.

Milkha Singh is the first Indian
to represent independent India..

..in commonwealth games
and won a gold medal.

In 1960, there came
a moment when Milkha Singh..

..got an invitation from Pakistan.

He didn't want to go to Pakistan.

The reason was clear.

Pakistan was the land where
Milkha Singh spent his childhood.

But this was also the land
where he had such horrific scenes..

..which had shaken him badly.

And he didn't want
to revist those memories.

When my parents were
murdered in front of my eyes.

When India and
Pakistan were formed..

..people were in a mad frenzy.

Under the circumstances,
the prime minister of India..

..Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
explained to Milkha Singh..

..that time is the best healer.
You will have to go there.

But Mr. Pandit called me.

Pandit said, "No, Milkha.
It is our neighbouring country."

"Sport increases
love and brotherhood."

"We must go to Pakistan."

This was a 400 meter race.

And he was competing against
one of the best sprinters of Asia.

Abdul Khalig.

When I went to the
hotel I found a paper.

There was a paper
in which it was written..

..Milkha Singh and Abdul Khalig 
go head to head.

India and Pakistan go head to head.

When I read that
I thought these people..

..shouldn't have
published such things.

We have come here
for something else..

..and these people
have published this.

Everyone was wondering
how will this scrawny sikh..

..be able to compete
against Abdul Khalig.

But when this race started
Milkha Singh proved everyone wrong.

In this race Milkha Singh
beat Abdul Khalig hollow.

All the burka glad
women in the stadium..

..lifted their veils and tried to catch 
a glimpse of this flying sprinter.

And there were 10,000
burka clad women sitting there.

And they lifted their
veils saw that this Sikh..

..has done something amazing here.

The Pakistani general
Ayub Khan had also said that..

..Milkha didn't run.
In fact he flew.

And that is how Milkha Singh 
became synonymous..

..with the title the flying Sikh.

General Ayub came to the
victory stand to put the medal.

I was standing there.
And these were his words.

He speaks in Punjabi.

He said," Milkha,
you didn't run in Pakistan today."

"You flew in Pakistant today."

"Pakistan gives you the
title of the flying Sikh."

In the olympics of 1960 and 1964..

..Milkha Singh represented India.

In the 1960 Rome olympics
Mikha Singh made a great start.

He improved his timing with
every round of the 400 meter race.

And the hope of getting
a medal was getting stronger.

Milkha Singh was deprived of
the medal by a very small margin.

I would want an athlete
among us Indians..

..to rise and bag the olympic
medal that I so narrowly missed.

The regret of not winning an 
olympic medal did stay with Milkha Singh.

But this flying Sikh
gave people hope..

..that even Indian athletes
can win medals in the olympics.

And after many years, 
Abhinav Bindra did this amazing feat..

..when he won a gold
medal in shooting.

If we look at the legendary
Milkha Singh's personal life..

..then we come to know that
he was married to Nirmal Kaur.

Nirmal Kaur,
who has been the captain..

..of the Indian Volleyball team.

His son Jeev Milkha Singh
is a well known golfer.

Milkha Singh is
the Indian athlete..

..whose tale,
passion and enthusiasm..