A biography for Milkha Singhhasn’t been written yet.
“During Partition, my parents, my brother and sisters were killed before my eyes.”
“When 'Bhaag Mikha Bhaag' was released, no matter where I went - Australia, England or Canada, people around the world used to say 'Farhan is Milkha Singh's ditto copy.'”
“When I started running in 1951, running shoes weren't even produced in India.”
“I hope they make many more sports films in future.”
“Athletes like me, PT Usha, Anju Bobby Gerorge have reached finals in Olympics, and it's not easy to reach the finals. If Indians were genetically inferior then we wouldn't have reached even finals.”
“I too have daughters, and it saddens me that people think of daughters as a burden.”
“I have given permission that my medals be transferred from the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in New Delhi to the sports museum in Patiala.”
“Milkha Singh is living his last days. An earthen lamp's glow is brightest towards the end, in the same manner I am humbled by the kind of love and respect being showered on me at this age.”
“When I won gold medals in both the 200m and 400m events at the 1958 Asian Games, the then chief of army staff, General K.S. Thimayya, announced my promotion as a junior commissioned officer.”
“I will surely watch 'Toofaan.'”
“I didn't know what off-season meant. I could sprint barefoot, anywhere, anytime and on any surface.”
“My stomach hurts at times, my back is always a problem, and my eyesight is not good. But I still jog every day.”
“If anyone has it in him to work hard, he can rise from the earth and touch the sky.”
“The first time I ever wore a shoe was in 1955 during the trials for the Melbourne Olympics.”
“We were from a village that's now in Pakistan's Muzaffargarh district, in Kot Addu tehsil. Our village was 10 km away from the city. The boys had to walk barefoot for 10 km from the village to the school in Kot Addu.”
“A child, when orphaned, can become anything. If I had not joined the Army, who knows, I may have become a dacoit. I give all credit to the Army; they found Milkha Singh.”
“Yes, I started by running barefoot. My feet used to slip in canvas shoes. So we put them aside and ran barefoot.”
“I enjoyed watching 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' very much. Many such sports films should be made so that the upcoming generation draws inspiration from the sportspersons of our country, win medals at the Olympics and Asian Games, and make India proud.”
“No one else could do what P.T. Usha has done for this country.”
“In my time, talking to a girl was like talking to God.”