LESSON TO LEARN:THE FLYING SIKH

Life In Undivided IndiaBorn in the small village of gobindpura, tehsil Kot Addu inMuzzafargarh district,( now in Pakistan).

A large but contented family.

Father, Sampuran Singh, a small-time farmer

Mother, Chawali Kaur, a simple woman, who was devoted to her husband and children. Brothers,Amir, Daulat and Makhan, and sisters, Makhani, Hoondi and Isher, were older than milkha , while Gobind was the youngest.

Journey To School The school Milkha was going to was in a village nearby, where classes were held out in the open under a tree.

Most of his classmates were from neighbouring villages, and all sit on mats on the ground around teacher, Maulvi Ghulam Mohammad, who taught them arithmetic and Urdu.

One Big Happy FamilyBefore Independence, Gobindpur was just like a big happy family, where people would be in and out of each other’s homes, sharing a meal or enjoying a good gossip.

It was a bond that had been developed over the generations.

Parting The Subcontinent Along Religious Lines

What did all this mean? And why was this happening?People were simple village folk and to them the creation of an India and a

Pakistan were alien concepts.

On 14 August 1947, British India was partitioned into India and Pakistan.

Hatred And Communalism Almost overnight,the unrest intensified, plunging the lands along the newly drawn

borders into chaos and confusion. Politics had poisoned people’s minds and hit the friendly relationships,destroyed by the sweeping waves of hatred & communalism.

People no longer behaved like human beings, they had become animals. Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims were brutally mass murdered,thousands of homes destroyed, mothers lost their husbands and children.

Outrunning The PoliceThere was no elder or role model to give him advice or direction or to

supervise his actions. As a result, milkhas life went rapidly downhill.

Milkha and his friends would indulge in all kind of nefarious activitiesMilkha was arrested and brought before a magistrate

Dream BigSomehow, deep within, Milkha knew that he wanted to lead a better, more

productive life.

Yearned to join the army

was rejected two or three times

Dejected but not defeated, He tried again and again

In November 1952selected at the army’s recruitment camp

Overjoyedan announcement that a six-mile race was to be held, & the top ten, out of

some five

Milkha came sixth in the race

this moment was the starting point of milkhas career as an athlete

hundred recruits who participated, would be exempted from fatigue duty & would also be given an extra glass of milk every day

Going For Gold

Asia's Best Athlete, Tokyo Asiad 1958

won the 400-metre race, clocking 46.5 seconds, a new record for Asia.

success had brought glory to my country as well.

Meeting Pandit Nehru

‘My boy,’ ‘you have brought great pride to our country.

the next day, it was announced that allgold medallists would be promoted immediately,

an unprecedented move that elevated Milkha from a sepoy to the rank of a (JCO)

Come on, Singh

The first time that an Indian athlete had won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.

His victory had put India on the sports map of the world.

The Flying Sikh

‘Tum daude nahi,udhey ho—you do not run, but fly!’

General Ayub Khan coined the title ‘Flying Sikh’

A title that soon became synonymous with his name all over the world.

Inspiration

Forget The Past… You Cannot Change ItBring Discipline In To your LifeDream BigNever Loose HopeLearn From Mistakes

The lines on our palms do not decide our future, Hard work can change destiny.

Thank You

Presented By : Karan Manocha