Milkha Singh, the Flying Sikh (1929-2021)
Perhaps the
best way to pay a attribute to Milkha Singh, the Flying Sikh, is to quote the
opening two paragraphs of his autobiography in Punjabi, Fying Sikh:Milkha
Singh – Autobiography (1974) which he, it is said, wrote with help from the
Punjabi revolutionary poet Pash (Avtar Singh Sandhu 1950-88) who was shot down
by militants.
These two
paragraphs are sheer poetry of the highest order. One is really amazed at a
sportsperson’s understanding of one’s own self and the nature of world-class
competitions like the Olympic games. He is not only aware of the miraculous
emergence of life over an immeasurable span of time but also the momentariness
of individual human life. At the same time, he is capable of understanding the
immense possibilities hidden in the brief lifespan of a tiny being called man.
Here is my translation of the two paragraphs into English.
A Broken
Childhood
Emergence
of life on this earth is perhaps the greatest miracle to happen on this planet.
In this game played by innumerable stars, planets and suns since infinite times,
man is just a tiny player. Yet in each and every beat of the human heart reside
infinite strength, swiftness and possibilities. It is not necessary that the
person who can understand and internalize in his soul this secret of Nature
should be Milkha Singh; he can be anyone else.
This
game of life did not begin with me, nor will it end with me. The heart in my
body has throbbed in this vast stadium only for a brief period out of just one
century; and one day I shall quietly walk out of this stadium leaving behind
other players engrossed in their astounding feats.
The tribute is somewhat belated. That is because I had been trying to get hold of this autobiography published long back and is now out of print. Some people have said that the prose in the autobiography has the stamp of Pash’s prose. That may be, but the thoughts expressed in these lines can occur only to a sportsperson who has taken part in competitions with the world’s best and knows that he is competing with the finest sportspersons of the world and winning or losing does not diminish any of them. The winner can be any one not necessarily Milkha Singh.
Those interested in reading these
paragraphs in original can find them here below.
