Milkha Singh and Nirmal Kaur: The race of a lifetime

'Flying Sikh' Milkha Singh, the legendary sprinter of India, died on Friday after a month-long battle with Covid-19, during which he lost his wife, former national volleyball captain Nirmal Kaur to the same ailment.

Milkha Singh's journey from a boy who lost his family during the riots after India's Partition to a sprinter who competed and won against the best athletes in the world is an inspiration to many.

He had to fight throughout his life, against hardships and poverty in his childhood and indomitable opponents during his career for the glory of victories. Little do we know about how he had to fight for the love of his life but it seems that Milkha Singh and Nirmal Kaur's romance was nothing less than the story of a hit film.

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It was in 1956 when Milkha first met Nirmal in Sri Lanka, erstwhile Ceylon. He was there to participate in a competition, and she was leading the Indian women's volleyball team against the Lankans. They met in a marketplace, and two Indians in an alien land formed a bond of friendship. 'Nimmi', as she was affectionately called, invited Milkha to watch her team's match, which the latter accepted. Her skills as a volleyball player impressed him, silently sowing the seed for something beautiful.

They next met at a dinner party. A race preceded the party, in which, yes, Milkha was the winner as Nirmal watched from the stands. After talking with her at the party, his admiration for Nirmal only increased. In his own words, "I was determined to see her again, but we were at a party, and I had no card or piece of paper to write down my telephone number. So quietly, lest anyone could see, I caught hold of her hand and quickly wrote the number down on her palm."

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They continued to meet after returning to Patiala. But before the bond could grow, Milkha had to leave Patiala because of his busy schedule. "I must sadly admit that my travels and numerous events that I was competing in soon obliterated all thoughts of Nimmi."

In 1958, after his return from the Tokyo Asian Games, he received an invitation from the College of Physical Education in Patiala to deliver a lecture. Incidentally, Nirmal was a student of the college. They saw each other, Milkha from the podium and she from the rows of the audience, but the former could never muster the courage to renew the acquaintance.

In 1960, fate conspired once again to bring them together. Nirmal was then working as the deputy physical education (DPE) instructor at Delhi's Lady Irwin College. Milkha saw her while practicing in the stadium. He was awestruck. "But what a transformation! Nimmi as a student displayed all the mannerisms of a frivolous adolescent and was always demurely dressed in a salwar-kameez and dupatta with her long hair in two plaits. Today, wearing a sari and her hair knotted in a bun, she had the poise and confidence of a professional young lady. I couldn't reconcile the two disparate images."

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Milkha Singh fell in love. When Nirmal asked during the meeting, "Have you ever once thought of this miserable tree, who finds herself alone and abandoned?", he could not give any answer. "How could I have forgotten such a beautiful and empathetic young woman?" he thought.

Their relationship changed from that day onwards. Soon, Nirmal became Assistant Director at the Punjab Sports Department, where Milkha was Deputy Director, and it gave them the chance to meet often. At this point, both were living in the newly-formed Chandigarh. As per Milkha's description, "Chandigarh was a small town, and our regular meetings did not go unnoticed. People began to talk."

When Partap Singh Kairon, the then Punjab Chief Minister, learnt about the relationship, he was furious. He angrily told Milkha, "Your intimacy with Nirmal has become a public scandal." But Milkha managed to make him understand the situation. A softened Kairon advised him to either marry her, 'otherwise stop meeting her.'

Milkha was elated. Nirmal was happy. But Milkha's family was angry, refusing to allow him to marry a Hindu girl. The feeling of anger was shared by Nirmal's family as well, but for a different reason. Her father, Choudhury Mehar Chand Saini, was an influential man. He thought that by marrying a Sikh, his daughter would be putting his reputation at stake. In such a scenario, the ever courageous Nirmal gave her mother an ultimatum. That either they allow her to marry Milkha, or she would never marry at all.

Ultimately, Kairon had to step in. He knew Nirmal's father and convinced him to agree to the match. He explained that the continuous opposition could result in the elopement of Nirmal and Milkha and subsequent court marriage. He asked Saini, "Wouldn't such a step be equally harmful to your reputation? Wouldn't it be easier to just say yes?"

Finally, both the families accepted the relationship, and Milkha Singh and Nirmal Kaur completed one gruelling race only to begin another. A race of a lifetime.

(All the above information has been taken from Milkha Singh's autobiography 'The Race of My Life' without any tweaks.)