How Milkha Singh ran the greatest run: Life.
Childhood is the foundation, the cornerstone, and the pillar of a child's life. The lessons learned during this time remain with a person for the rest of their lives. Milkha’s Childhood was rather unforgiving on him and so would be the lessons he learned. As a kid who was born in the era of undivided India, Milkha Singh witnessed the loss of love & life from a very tender age. From running for his life during the India-Pakistan riots, facing the tragic loss of his parents, and living on the streets, Milkha Singh’s tragic story would go on to shaping his life in ways unimaginable.
Perhaps, in my opinion, it was the exposure to tough life that made Milkha, Milkha. It rightly said that “Adversity favors the brave” but I think that it’s the adversity that makes the person brave. Perhaps, that was Milkha’s secret sauce: the ability to not just take adversity head-on but also to overcome it, emerging stronger than ever.
For Milkha Singh, running was not just a sport, it was a way of life. He was one of the few athletes for whom running was so closely intertwined with life. He started running even before he knew that running was his calling. His earliest memories of running were the 10km run to the school every day. The same went on to become the foundation, the pioneer of the legend that is Milkha Singh. The 10km run- which would easily put all of us in shock, did not deter him from going to school, exhibiting Milkha’s determination to win even despite having all the odds stacked against him.
Later, he ran for his life during the India-Pakistan riots with the Partition at the height of its cruel violence. The tragedy left Milkha heartbroken who then decided to become a dacoit to seek revenge. But his brothers talked him out of it and advised him to join the Military instead. It was during his years in the military that Milkha started running for the first time. Having finished sixth in a mandatory cross-country race, he was selected for further training. From training in secret at night to being exempted from mandatory 'fatigue time' (when jawans would do cleaning jobs, gardening, and other odd chores), Singh would practice till he became the best in the country. And the rest is history……..
However, we believe that it wasn’t just the sport that made him a legend, rather, it was the way he looked at the world, with a smile so bright and laughed through the pain, the terror that always dwelled in his eyes, which he ever so gracefully disguised with a glint of hope and the ringing words of his dying father that he clutched close to his heart, using them to conquer the world.
It’s a story to be truly remembered for what it was: a story of toil & struggle, a story of a man who won despite having all the odds stacked against him, a story of the man who turned adversity into advantage, and a man who lived life the way life is meant to live.
The story of Milkha Singh is a guidebook about life on its own. It’s a story about struggle, a story about the loss of life & love, a story of utmost determination and will, a story of failure, a story of resilience, and above all, it’s a story of learning, unlearning, and relearning.
The story of Milkha Singh teaches us a lot about life. That although life throws us adversity, it also shows us a way out. That the way we look at life, Is the way our life turns out. All we need is some faith & a whole lot of courage to take on life head-on.
Milkha Singh’s father, as he lay dying, told Milkha to run for his life. But Milkha did not stop at running for his life, rather he ran the greatest run of all times: life. With the haunting last words of his dying father always playing in his mind “bhaag Milkha bhaag”, he ran and ran and ran and ran.
With the words ringing in our ears, we should also run the greatest run: life, and keep running and running and running……….
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