BHAAG MILKHA BHAAG !!!

The British Government was feeling the heat of violent protests since the rise of Mangal Pandey, Khudiram Bose, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, Bhagat Singh and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in the Indian Freedom Struggle Movement. In 1945, the protests of the common Indian increased by so much that the British Government started chalking out a plan to quit India but by doing some harm to India. British Government utilized Jinnah and Nehru to brainwash Mahatma Gandhi and as a result, Hindustan got partitioned into two nations; India and Pakistan. Pakistani Muslims started killing the Hindus and Sikhs (another community of Hindu religion) in Pakistan. The Sikhs were the followers of Guru Govind Singh (a great Hindu leader). The Sikhs followed the Khalsa tradition and fought till the last drop of their blood against the Pakistani Muslims. All the Hindus and Sikhs who were unwilling to convert themselves to Muslim religion got brutally killed in Pakistan. A little boy lost his parents and other family members. The places like Multan and Lahore became a part of Pakistan. Later on, the little boy got back his Isri didi. When these Pakistani Hindus and Sikhs came to Delhi to settle down, they were treated as refugees. Inside the refugee camp, Ishri’s hubby used to torture her. The little boy started beating his brother-in-law one day. The little boy joined the young rebel force. Zinda hain toh, pyala poora bhar le...koila kaala hain, chattan o ne paala hain; andar kaala, bahar kaala, par saccha hain saala.

In those days, it was not an easy task to talk with unknown girls of your own village also. The acrobatic cyclist collided with a young girl whose house was near the rail tracks of that village. In India, a human heart always dominates on a human brain. That’s why; the incidents of love at first sight are very common in India. Mere yaar hain rab barga, dildaar hain rab barga; ishq karoon ya karoon ibadat; eekho hee gal hain e; alf allah, alf allah; main mandir kyon jaawa, mera yaar khuda hain; main masjid kyon jaawa, mera yaar khuda hain. The Sardarji showed his power by drinking ghee from two small tins. Veeru didn’t like the information that her lover is an anti-social. The young man wanted to start a small business in the village, but, no one helped him. Then he applied for a job in Indian Army and got selected. Gurudev Singh met Milkha for first time in Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME) unit of Indian Army camp of Secunderabad in 1954. Military training is as usual always a strict one. But, in any military camp, there is enough scope of entertainment at night in that fatigue body too. Oye hawan kund, maston ka jhund; sunsaan raat, ab aisi raat, rakh dil pe haath, hum saath saath, bolo kya karenge? Hawan karenge, hawan karenge...oye jungle aag si bhadakti hogi, oye ladki dil bhi sulagti hogi....hawan karenge....hawan karenge!

In the cross-country race of 6 miles, the young man got selected. One glass milk and a raw egg are healthy for human body. Out of 10 contestants, the top 3 athletes get selected for Brigade level sports. Eventually, an athlete can get selected for Services and National level games. To earn a blazer of India, you have to become a champion first. The Sardar was totally humiliated for wearing Sher Singh Rana’s blazer. Tu chaye toh kaal bhi haara sakta hain, maidan khula hain. Tu aise sau Sher Singh Rana ko harayega. In the selection round, Milkha impressed everyone and got selected for the National level race. Ranvir Singh was impressed to see Milkha. After watching Milkha closely, Sher Singh Rana realized that he is going to face a strong competitor in the heat races. Sher Singh Rana and his colleagues severely damaged Milkha’s legs before the race. The Sardar decided to run with those wounded legs without wearing the spikes. Nanak naam jahaj hain, chade so utre paar, jo sharda kar sevde, gur paar utaran haar; gur paar utaran haar. Milkha won the race against Sher Singh Rana. Milkha, tumne national record thodh diya. Services Department felt proud of that athlete. Indian Muslims are still the best tailors of the world. Janaab, aap mein se Milkha Singh kaun hain; blazer ka naap lenaa tha. Blazer ka naap dete waqt Milkha aisa sharmaa raha tha, jaise kisi dulhan ka joda sil raha ho. Once, Milkha went to jail for attacking a ticket checker of Indian Railways. At that time, his elder sister sold her golden ear-rings to bail him out. After earning the blazer, Milkha came to meet his elder sister. Ishri wore that blazer and put her two hands in two side pockets of that blazer to find out the golden ear-rings. After all; for Milkha, his elder sister was everything for him after losing his parents in his childhood.

Milkha walked down the memory lanes to meet his sweet lover. O Rangrez, tere rang dariya mein; doobna hain baash tera baan ke, haayen...nahin rahana dooja baan ke; ek bhi saans alag nahi leni, khinch lena ish pran tan ke; maala mein aa tujhko piro loon, tujhe pehnau saajan, hothon mein aa sargam sa bolun, tujhe raat loon saajan. Veeru got married to some other person. In those days, in rural India, the parents never used to listen to their girls’ choice regarding those girls’ marriage.  Haamare yahan kaun suntaa hain yaar; ladkiyon ki. Milkha felt depressed as his romantic heart received a mild shock. Gurudev Singh motivated Milkha again. Unchai pe udhne wale panchi kabhi chote chote pedh o se dil nahi lagaate; oye tere ko toh bahut unche jaana hain. The Sardarji was feeling too tensed inside the aeroplane. The captain of the plane controlled the situation. Oye Maninder, yaad rakh, jaako rakhe Saaiyan; maar saake na koi. In Australia, the Indian athlete went for a late night party with Stella. Stella was the grand-daughter of Peter Hamilton, the Australian athlete cum technical adviser of Indian sports. I just met a girl and she is from wulu mulu wulu mulu wonda; I can dance and she can sing, we can rock the whole night longer; ho kaanch si hain tu najuk, toot jaaye kahin naa, baaash karvat badal ke; tujhko meri jaroorat, aa main tujhko utha loon; dheere dheere se chalna apna aadat bana loon. Milkha and Stella got carried away on that romantic night. That’s quite natural; but, it is not always easy to ride on both the boats at the same time. Next day, Milkha was late in the practice session. After a few days, the Indian athlete got disqualified. To become a champion sportsman, you need to follow the DHF (D=Dedication, H=Hard Work and F=Focus) rules. Sir! 400 meters ka world record kya hain? 45.9 seconds!

Milkha Singh started practicing and this time in a very tough manner. Arrey shanti maar raha hain sansaar, ab tu aane de lalkaar; tera toh bistaar hain maidan, odhna dharti teri shaan, tere sarhaane hain chattan, pahein le poora aasmaan; aab tu jaag milkha, tu hain aag milkha, ab tu bhaag milkha. By seeing such a dedication, the Indian swimmer, Parizaad also fell in love with Milkha, but, Milkha was very cautious this time. Sorry ji, mainu maaf kar dena, main aapki insult nahi kar raha hoon, yeh meri khud se ladai hain. Asian Games of 1958 took place in Tokyo, the capital city of Japan. In that competition, Milkha Singh defeated Abdul Khaliq of Pakistan by a fraction of a second. The referees of the Asian Games of 1958 took the help of the camera footage to declare Milkha Singh as the winner. Milkha Singh performed well in the Commonwealth Games of 1958 in Cardiff. Jai Hind, saab! Ab tum nahi, hum salute karta; all unit salute karta; India salute karta. The military unit celebrated the service promotion of Milkha Singh in style. Milkha created a new world record for 400 meters in 45.8 seconds by surpassing the previous world record of 45.9 seconds in a heat race in France. Milkha Singh was awarded Padma Shree by the Indian Government. Unfortunately, Milkha Singh failed to win a medal in the Olympic Games of 1960 in Rome, the capital city of Italy.

India and Pakistan were made the arch-rivals by the British Government as per the traditional English policies of Divide and Rule strategies. To ease out the tension between India and Pakistan; Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India requested for an India-Pakistan Sports Meet. Pakistan accepted the offer. After entering Pakistan, Milkha went to see his village where his family members were brutally killed by the Pakistani Muslims. There he met his childhood friend. Milkha, log boorey nahi hote, halaat boorey hote hain. Educated Muslims of Pakistan like maulvis adopted some Hindu children and then converted those Hindu children into Muslims. In those days, All India Radio, i.e. Akash Vaani was the only source for accessing information from one end of the nation to the other end of the nation. The India-Pakistan Sports Meet started at Gaddafi Stadium of Lahore, Pakistan in 1960. So many Pakistanis came to see the Sports meet at Gaddafi stadium and in India; everyone was sitting in front of the radio sets which was tuned in to the All India Radio Station. Pakistani coach, Javed tried to scare the Indian athlete. Milkha Singh, yeh aap ki zindagi ki aakhri race saabit ho sakti hain. Milkha gave a good reply. Daudoonga bhi waise hee. A race is not over till the last lap and its last second. Milkha Singh came from behind to rule on the Pakistani racing track to defeat the Toofan of Asia, i.e. Abdul Khaliq of Pakistan in a very convincing style. Waheguru da khalsa; waheguru di fateh. General Ayub Khan, the then President of Pakistan realized the pain inside Milkha’s heart regarding the India-Pakistan partition; after seeing his desperate run to win the race on Pakistani soil. Jahawarlal Nehru declared a one day National holiday in India for a terrific performance by Milkha Singh on Pakistani soil. That victory in Pakistan gave some mental satisfaction to the depressed soul of Milkha Singh. Aaj tum jaise daurhe ho, aisa daurhte humne kisi insaan ko kabhi pehle nahi dekha. Beta, tu daurha nahi, uraah hain. General Ayub Khan gave a new name to Milkha Singh. Aaj se duniya tumhe Sikh nahi, valki FLYING SIKH ke naam se jaanegi. Pakistan aap ko yeh khetaab dete huye fakr mehsus kar raha hain. Well done, my boy! Well done! For a person with hard work, will power and dedication; the sky is the limit. To know about the life of Milkha Singh, one must watch the Rakesh Omprakash Mehra’s Bollywood movie, “BHAAG MILKHA BHAAG”, starring Farhan Akhtar, Japtej Singh and others.