Why I’m with Milkha: because I believe

I have known Sardar Milkha Singh for over four decades now. And I have admired the man from the first time I saw him at close quarters. That...

I have known Sardar Milkha Singh for over four decades now. And I have admired the man from the first time I saw him at close quarters. That was way back in the mid-1960s. He had just retired from the track and was chief guest at the Khalsa College, Amritsar, on its annual sports day. Milkha was prompted to don his sprinting outfit for an exhibition run.

At the time, he was unaware of any egoistic pedestal and willingly obliged a huge crowd. He took a while to warm up. Literally, just a while. And then the ‘Flying Sikh’ took off. Nothing competitive. It was just an exhibition run. But my word, what an enthralling exhibition it was! I still vividly remember the elegance and grace of his movements; it was divine.

Many years later I read of Milkha’s exploits in the Commonwealth, Asian and Olympic Games. To this day, only Americans have bettered Milkha’s feat. I cannot imagine there could be a more elegant and graceful runner than our own Milkha. A film on Milkha’s life didn’t do justice to the great athlete but, unfortunately, that is how we project our international sportspersons.

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‘Run for your life’ is an oft-repeated phrase. Milkha has done precisely that from the time he escaped the tragedy of Partition in 1947. And Milkha is still running, albeit with shoes on after competing barefoot in his heyday. To meet the Deputy Prime Minister last week, Milkha was smartly attired and never looked a day more than 50 (he’s 73 years old).

Milkha Singh had a point to put across to Mr Advani. And he did it with aplomb. Dinesh Khanna and Indu Puri, former badminton and table tennis champions, and myself went along with India’s greatest athlete. Former sports minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa also joined the party. Admittedly, our number was small but our message to the government went through loud and clear.

From what I gathered, Mr Advani also received the message. I noticed he was cool and receptive.

Our main objective was to create an awareness within the polity of the utility of retired international sportspersons. Their nomination to the Rajya Sabha, for starters. Or their usefulnness as ambassadors abroad or even as state governors. All this may not mean much to the cynic but I say that outstanding sportspeople can lend a lot of grace and dignity to posts of nominations. And, in return, have that warm feeling of being wanted.

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Milkha has given all of us a chance and a point to start from. Now it is for the government to understand that utility is not impaired by imperfection. We can all drink from a chipped cup.