Milkha Singh

“We had nothing in our times. The athletes and sportsmen in those days didn't earn much money. We worked for the applause, people's appreciation inspired and motivated us, we ran for the country.”

“Kids in the city can play cricket, badminton, tennis or football. Athletics is not their cup of tea.”

“I came from the bottom, from nothing. To a man who has nothing in his life, imagine what it's like to be hoisted on someone's shoulders.”

“I believe there is no dearth of talent in India. But what's missing is the ability to work hard.”

“Whenever I returned after winning a race, my friends in the Army would lift me on their shoulders and break into Bhangra, irrespective of whether they knew the dance or not.”

“We should have coaches who can produce results and even if we need to hire them on contracts, we should do that.”

“The government does a lot, ranging from providing the infrastructure to financial support for training etc. In our time, we didn't get these facilities. Current athletes are getting all these. Yet, another Milkha Singh has not been produced in the country in nearly 60 years after me.”

“I did not even know what athletics was; the Army taught me everything.”

“I had joined the army as a sepoy in 1951.”

“In my teens, I had no idea about running as a sports event. For me, an orphan, it was not only about learning how to survive the brutal world, but also about carving an identity.”

“There are three legends in sports - Dhyan Chand, myself and Sachin Tendulkar. People will always remember three of us in Indian Sports.”

“I did not know about awards. I just wanted to break the world record and the Olympic record.”

“I am not against cricket, but it is dominating this country. All other games are finished, because the media shows cricket 24 hours a day, the papers are full of cricketers' photographs.”

“You must understand that to get an Olympic medal is a huge achievement.”

“I start my day with two eggs and two slices of toast along with juice and take 1-2 chapatis with dal and curd rice at lunch.”

“The new generation I feel does not know about Milka Singh, they don't know about the hard work I did, what struggles I went through, in Pakistan and India, they know just the name.”

“I am fit at 88 years of age. I do yoga and also go jogging 2-3 times which has kept me fit and healthy even at this ripe age in which many people keep seeing doctors.”

“If you look at history of athletics in the country almost all champions have hailed from the villages.”

“Everybody knows Milkha deserves more than a Padma Shri, but it is for others, including the federation, to nominate me to the government for higher awards.”

“Do yoga and exercises daily even if it is for a few minutes only and results would appear in a few days only.”