Fauja Singh had such weak legs that he could n’ t walk properly till he was five years old. Tom Hank ‘s character in ‘Forest Gump’ had to wear leg braces because his back was ‘ as crooked as a politician’.
If the story of Tom Hank’s character was a sprint through mid 29th century American history, the supercentenarian’s life must have been a marathon. He was born in the year of King George V’s Delhi Darbar. He was three when Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated & the world plunged into war.
He was 36, when India won it’s independence. On the day of his death, the second Indian in space was preparing to return to Earth.
Fauja Singh discovered his joy in running later in life & in the wake of sorrow when he had moved to UK following the death of his wife & one of his children. A chance meeting with a man who would go on to become his coach that saw him take wing.
He ran nine full marathons. Setting a record for his age group between 2000 & 2013, when he retired. In 2011, in Toronto, he became the first centenarian to finish a marathon.
He rose to fame after appearing in an Adidas ad campaign, that also featured the likes of Muhammad Ali & David Beckham. He donated all his earnings to charity.
Sikhs in the city , Fauja Singh ‘s running club & charity in London are planning a series of events to celebrate his life & achievements.
In a moment of mourning & while reckoning with the tragic nature of his death in a hit & run, it ‘s important to find time & space to do the same. IE has this beautiful article to articulate the emotions.
To remember the many feats & more joys of the man who at the age of 95, found life so beautiful’ that he ‘ just did n’ t feel like dying’!
His biggest feat is for us to defy age & be positive. If a man is man enough to turn his sorrow into an opportunity don’t we have more! God has gifted us with beautiful bodies & yet we lament for those minor shortcomings !
Haruki Murakami says ” I’ll be happy if running & I can grow old together ” Beautiful thought. Our will changes our body.
Hrithik Roshan was always teased for his thin body, now see he is the idol with a strict regime & looking great for his age . He not only has an excellent body but acting chops that all envy. Sheer hard work.
Today without cursing the truck that hit Fauja Singh let’s rise above & look up to him as our inspiration. An end which he would have liked. Sudden. Heart breaking for sure. But there.
How are we going to transform our pain ? Our sorrow after losing a gem ???
Asian Entertainment 