‘Captain, I’ll Be All Right’
I had a six-decade-long association with Milkha Singh, from my first civilian days to the historic 1960 Rome Olympics, before speaking to him on the phone last month, before being admitted to the hospital. What I found in common over the years was his never-give-up spirit. Milkha was always in high spirits, confident to take on anyone – be it the world’s top runner of his time or life itself, when he knew, at the age of 91, that he had tested positive for Covid. This put him in a billion. When I called him after learning that he was ill, his response was, “Captain, don’t worry, I’ll be fine soon”. He told me he didn’t have a fever, only a little body ache, and that he jogs in his house. Of course, no one expected one who had witnessed the horrors of Partition, the murder of his parents and four siblings, who came to Delhi as an orphan and refugee and did odd jobs to survive. ..
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