A tribute to ‘The Flying Sikh’
Sports
Legendary sprinter Milkha Singh succumbed to death on Friday night after fighting a long battle with Covid-19.
Let's take a look back at the life and accolades of this legendary icon, one of India's greatest athletes - a story of guts and glory.
Early life
Milkha Singh was born into a Sikh Rathore family in Govindpura, Muzaffargarh, Punjab province of Pakistan, in the year 1932. He was orphaned during the Partition of India when his parents were killed by mobs in the violence that ensued. He witnessed these killings and became disillusioned with his life at a tender age.
The fuel that inspired Milkha
Singh attempted recruitment in the Army but was rejected thrice. He was finally able to join the army’s electrical mechanical engineering branch in 1952. His sheer determination and motivation to earn ‘an extravagant glass of milk and two eggs’ introduced him to the sport of ‘track and field’ which eventually gave him the purpose of his life. Singh’s perseverance led him to become one of India’s most celebrated athletes.
The race that created history
Milkha Singh raced into the hearts of Indians when he won India's first individual gold medal at the Commonwealth Games back in 1958 in Wales, a record that stayed with him for over five decades. As a reward for his achievement, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru declared a national holiday to congratulate him.
Stellar accolades
It was the Indo-Pak race held in Pakistan where Milkha was christened the title “The Flying Sikh” as he defeated Abdul Khaliq - the winner of 100m gold at the 1958 Tokyo Asian Games
Gold in 1958 Asian Games in 200 m
Gold in 1958 Asian Games in 400 m
Gold in 1958 Commonwealth Games in 440 yards
Padma Shri Awardee in 1959
Silver in 1964 Calcutta National Games in 400 m
Fame and humility
The Race of My Life is the stirring autobiography of Milkha Singh, an insight into the thought and efforts of simple beginnings and numerous victories. The Bollywood film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is based on the book. The tragic experiences of Singh’s past stay with him, as is evident from his biopic. He was often reminded of his father’s last words “Bhaag Milkha, Bhaag”.
Singh sold his biographical movie’s rights for one rupee after ensuring that a portion of all the profits earned would go to the Milkha Singh Charitable Trust to assist needy sportspersons.
Singh’s dream: Madame Tussauds Wax statue
“Everybody has to die one day, but this gesture of Madame Tussauds has increased my life and now I will live for another couple of years” ~ Milkha Singh
The colossal athlete is among the fifty famous personalities from various walks of life whose wax figure is displayed in the 23rd museum of the world-famous Madame Tussauds in New Delhi. The statue, sculpted in a spectacular sprint pose, was chosen from his victorious win at the 1958 Commonwealth Games.
Last wish
With more than 77 international race wins to his name and a successful Bollywood film made of his life story, the Flying Sikh still had one outstanding ambition. Milkha Singh always regretted the fact that no Indian athlete had ever won a gold in Olympics in the 400m event and the one in which he missed the bronze by a whisker (in the Rome Olympics). His last wish was to see a youngster win gold in athletics in the Olympics!
The World Test Championship: The final showdown - 2021
Sports
What is the World Test Championship?
ICC World Test Championship or WTC is a league-based men’s test cricket tournament played over a period of two years. Out of the 12 test-playing nations, the top 9 ranked teams participated in the inaugural tournament which was played between 2019-21. India and New Zealand ended the league stage as the top 2 ranked teams, qualifying for the final to be played at Rose Bowl, Southampton, England, from June 18 to June 22.
WTC Final: The showdown
In the final, India and New Zealand will compete for the coveted “Mace” along with a prize money of USD 1.6 million, while the runner-up will take home USD 800,000
4,000 viewers have been allowed inside the stadium in adherence to the Covid-19 norms
An additional 6th day has also been reserved to compensate for any loss of overs during the stipulated five days
The finalists will share the trophy in case the game ends in a draw
India vs. New Zealand: The history
India and New Zealand have played 59 test matches against each other, with India winning 21, New Zealand winning 12 and 26 matches ending in a draw
Both India and New Zealand have won all their respective home series during WTC
During the league stage, New Zealand defeated India 2-0 in New Zealand
The neutral venue of the final eliminates any home advantage to either of the finalists, and a fair contest is expected.
WTC - The need of the hour?
To make cricket more globally acceptable, the International Cricket Council (ICC) introduced Limited Overs formats such as One Day Internationals (1971) and T20 (2005) which are more entertaining and received widespread popularity. Both formats are more result-oriented, time flexible, hold periodic world cups and generate more revenue than test matches.
Moreover, the infrastructure required to bring out quality test cricket players is restricted to only a handful of cricketing nations. Even the once glorious test teams such as West Indies and Pakistan are now moving to inculcate more T20 cricketers. With the surge of domestic T20 leagues such as IPL and Australia’s T20 Big Bash, young cricketers completely bypass the longest format of the game.
ICC: Reforms and WTC
To make the format more competitive, ICC has been awarding the top-ranked test team at the end of the year with a trophy called “The Mace” since 2003. ICC also introduced pink ball test matches, which allowed the game to be played during the night. However, it was evident that a summit tournament like WTC was needed to bring back the lost charm of test cricket and keep it sustainable.
Author’s opinion
Test cricket is an exhibition of the endurance, determination, and skill of the cricketers. WTC is a step in the right direction as it brings more structure and much-needed competitiveness to the entire format. During the league stage of WTC, India vs. England test series registered a cumulative viewership of 103 million, which is the highest in the last five years for test matches.
Over the years, ICC has gradually increased the number of test-playing nations. Also, ICC’s move to a percentage-based ranking system during the pandemic has brought more inclusivity and flexibility to the WTC framework(amidst some confusion).
The much-awaited final is expected to rake in record TV viewership from around the world as India’s captain Virat Kohli and the Kiwi’s captain Kane Williamson fight for the biggest honours of test cricket. So who are you rooting for?
A civil war and a famine: What’s happening in Ethiopia?
Global Politics
On June 10, 2021, the head of the World Food Programme (the food-assistance branch of the United Nations) appealed for immediate access to deliver life-saving assistance to Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where an ongoing fight between the government and regional forces has put some 350,000 people at the risk of famine.
The number of people affected by this famine is the worst in any country since 2011 when a famine had gripped Somalia.
The current situation
It is reported that an estimated one to two million people have been displaced from their homes due to the ongoing conflicts and more than 63,000 have fled to Sudan.
This is the direct result of the ongoing military conflict. Eritrean forces, who joined the conflict in support of Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, have been accused of destroying property, burning crops and blocking food supplies for over a million people.
Two sides of the conflict
Since November 2020, there has been a conflict between the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahemed’s federal forces and the Tigray Peoples’ Liberation Front (TPLF) which is the ruling party of the northern region of the country.
The TPLF was formed by the Tigrayan people, a small but extremely influential minority in Ethiopia who enjoyed tremendous power from 1991 to 2018. The TPLF had also waged a war against Ethiopia’s neighbour Eritrea which went on from 1998 to 2000.
PM Abiy Ahmed
Things changed in 2018 when Abiy Ahmed from the Oromo Democratic Party(ODP) became the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. Abiy also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for the peace deal he signed to finally end the border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Abiy’s plans to reform the country’s judicial, economic and foreign policies put him in direct conflict with the TPLF from the start of his tenure. He also put some TPLF officials on trial for corruption, which further harmed the relationship.
The final straw
In August 2020, Abiy refused the TPLF’s demand to hold an election in the Tigray region, citing the pandemic as the reason. In defiance, the TPLF decided to no longer recognize Abiy's government and went ahead with the elections. In response, Abiy restricted federal funding to the region, increasing the tension.
On November 4, 2020, the rebel forces attacked the national base in Tigray and the PM deployed troops against the rebels which saw the start of a civil unrest. On November 28, 2020, the government took over Mekelle (the capital of Tigray) and announced victory but the fighting continues till date.
Integrated Food Security Phase Classification
A system used by the leading humanitarian aid agencies and governments to understand the scale of the hunger crisis and divides the scale into 5 phases. Phase 1 being minimal and Phase 5 being famine. Of the 5.5 million people who face food insecurity in Tigray - 350,000 are now in Phase 5. The reports also suggest that approximately 3 million people are in Phase 3 (crisis) and approximately 2.1 million people are in Phase 4 (emergency).
The world reacts
On June 12, 2021, US, historically an ally of Ethiopia, voiced concerns over how Abiy is handling the conflict in Tigray.
The G7 group has called for unimpeded access for aid workers to Ethiopia's Tigray region and also demanded an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Eritrean troops.
Ethiopia’s response
Ethiopia, however, denies that there is a famine on the technicality that the catastrophic conditions are spread out across different parts of Tigray and the proportion of people in phase five did not reach 20% at any single location - the standard threshold for declaring famine.
It also denies the allegation that Ethiopian and Eritrean forces are deliberately blocking aid supplies to Tigray.
Why should the world be worried?
It does not look like the current crisis will stop in Tigray. As per a BBC analysis, food security is fast deteriorating in the neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar as well, and as the crisis continues, it will disrupt more and more livelihoods and worsen the situation. There are also warnings of escalating food needs in Sudan where a lot of civilians from Tigray have fled to.
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