The psyche of the 'Flying Sikh' Milkha Singh - an inspiration for youngsters

In the movie, the girl in Australia distracts Milkha Singh, but he learns from his mistake, and sets his sights on breaking the world record. Thereafter, the only thought running in his mind is to break the record. Interestingly, he even declines the ‘top swimmer’s’ interest and says, “yeh meri khudh se ladayi hai” (this is my personal battle).

Milkha Singh

A pressing issue today is how young athletes get distracted and lose focus from their goal; sometimes, it gets too late for them to make a way back. I agree that an athlete gives up a socially enjoyable life, and it’s difficult to do so while others of his or her age are having fun. But in the end, athletes also get a lot more respect and adulation for their achievements.

One question which I feel everyone ought to ask is ‘what do I want?’ and ‘why am I training so hard?’ Definitely not to kill time, right? Eyes on the goal and the desire to earn the feeling of accomplishment are what drive an athlete.

The support network of the athlete is also extremely important - this is portrayed in the movie by the coaches, his sister and the supposed lover (whose role was dampened I feel!). I love the beautiful way in which the mentors groom the young athlete, clearly depicting how important a coach is to an athlete.

The chamaat (slap) he gets from his first coach when he tries on the senior Indian blazer might have physically hurt but what he says is truly inspiring: “you’ll have to beat the likes of this guy to represent India and only then can you get the blazer.”

I recall a former basketball player who was struggling due to missing the first conditioning camp, saying how the ‘Indian jersey’ was very important. We got her to keep that in mind when she did challenging practices, pushing herself when her teammates were much ahead. The ‘Indian jersey’ not only ensured her a place in the Indian team, but she went on to have a great tournament too. That ‘junoon‘ – raw passion – is a must to achieve anything, but even before that, what is most important is having a clear goal.

Milkha Singh

Also, goals need to be modified and upgraded, else staleness and mediocrity will creep in. If an athlete is already a national champion, he/she ought to be aiming higher than that. Unfortunately, as Mr. Michael Nobbs – the recently sacked hockey coach said, “some [players] are just happy being an Olympian”.

I have seen top athletes aiming only to qualify for the Olympics or other international meets, but then what? We have to get ourselves out of this mediocrity trap to really make it at the world level. Why have we stopped dreaming big and setting challenging goals for ourselves?

What we aspire will determine the effort and motivation required to reach the goal; without clear aspirations, we’ll end up as a story of lost potential or, worse, simply mediocre.

The finale of the movie shows Milkha Singh’s rebirth in Pakistan after visiting his home-town which resulted in the integration with his scarred inner child, thereby helping him deal with his traumatic past.

To attain the highest glory despite such a tragic past is a magnificent feat in itself. The mindset and clarity just before the race, where they show him visualising how he covers the entire track in a millisecond (in the mind), are similar to the methods used by most Olympic medallists to clear things first in the mind – a very powerful technique to convince your mind and self. It aids in developing an ‘I can’ attitude within the athlete.

I salute the fighting spirit of Milkha Singh, and hope his dream of India winning a gold medal in athletics at the Olympics is realised very soon.

The need of the hour for India and Indian sports is to recognise the making of champions like Milkha Singh – it takes time, humongous effort, passion, sweat, blood, discipline, self-belief, dedication and much, much more to become a legend.

‘Bhaag Milkha bhaag’, the retelling of Milkha Singh’s story, is a wonderful way to inspire today’s youth who believe in quick fixes and short-cuts. I salute Milkha Singh for what he’s done and wish that his story instils hope in many more champions.