The ‘Flying Sikh’ was in a school in Noida on Saturday, once again motivating youngsters to take up sports. Abhishek Purohit attended the event
An eight-year-old kid was not interested in drinking a glass of water that his mother had tasked him with. The mother then got an idea. She said, “If you don’t drink this glass of water, you can’t run like Milkha Singh Sir”. The golden words did the trick and the very next moment the boy gulped down the liquid in one go.
Right in front of him, the inspirational Milkha Singh was delivering a speech at the Genesis Global school’s fourth episode of ‘Genesis Conversations’ on ‘No Pain No Gain’ in Noida on Saturday. The ‘Flying Sikh’ enthralled the audience and kept the school children spellbound as he opened up to the youngsters. “During my heydays, I was popular but the younger generation came to know about me after the biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.
After the release of his movie, events like Saturday one is keeping one of India’s finest athletes busy even at the age of 78, hopping from one city to another. He is much fitter than his age suggests, the reason obviously lies somewhere in his genes. There’s strength in his voice and the swagger of a proud Indian Army man is still with him.
And. he has word of advice for all depending on the age-group. For people of his age, “Eat less and exercise regularly. Beware of the mouth, it harms in two ways — talking and eating. food is the reason for all health problems,” he said.
For school kids, “There is no substitute to hard work. Pursue your dreams with hard work and dedication,” he said amid thunderous applause from the audience.
For young sportpersons and their administrators, “The country has everything now, money and facilities, but in the last more than 50 years we have not been able to produce another Milkha Singh. I don’t see any track and field athlete now who can win an Olympic medal in the next two Olympics. This is all due to the failure of administrators, coaches and the players. Hard work is lacking among our current generations and faulty administration is the problem. I don’t think that any association or federation is serious enough and sincere in its duty.
“Every federation should discuss and work on a plan with the Indian Olympic Association. In terms of results, there aren’t any concrete plans in place. I always stress on hiring coaches on contract basis. There are 40,000 athletics coaches. But where are the resultsIJ” he questioned. “We always say that cricket is taking all limelight but other associations should learn from BCCI, how they improved the sport,” he said.
He reiterated that his ultimate wish is to see an Indian athlete bringing home a medal in athletics before his last breathe.
Then the conversation turned towards the Bharat Ratna awarded to the recently retired Sachin Tendulkar. The quarter-miler who has his best performance - fourth-place finish at 1960 Rome Olympics, reacted, “I am happy that Tendulkar has been conferred with the Bharat Ratna. He (Tendulkar) has been a role model. I have met him several times and whenever I see him, I was amazed at his humility. Despite his immense success, woh bahut shant aur naek baccha hai. Success did not go into his head. That sets him apart,”
“But personally, I feel that Dhyan Chand should have been the first recipient as he was the one who put India on the international sporting map. Government should think about the contribution of the hockey’s Jadugar,” he reckoned.
He also shared an interaction that he had with the legendary Dhyan Chand, “I asked him one day after a practice session at the National stadium, “Dhyan Chand Dada, why do all the people call you a magician and how do you manage to score so many goals. Dhyan Chand da said to me that I practice 500 goals by putting a cycle tyre. So that in a match, when that cycle tyre turns into a goal post, it helps me,” the legendary sprinter ended by saying.