Colony in Secundrabad named after Flying Sikh Milkha Singh

Hyderabad, July 1

It is strange to find a residential colony named after a Sikh in the far-away southern city of Secundrabad, which is also an important cantonment. But the Milkha Singh Colony in the EME Centre is a place that locals are as proud of as the Flying Sikh Milkha Singh himself. Recruited in the Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME) in 1952, much of the veteran’s training started here.

Living in Chandigarh, not many know that Milkha Singh, now 90, stayed in Secundrabad from 1952 to 1960 and prepared for the 1960 Rome Olympics in the local grounds. Singh missed the bronze medal in the 400m at Rome by a few seconds.

Practicing here, in and around the colony, later helped him win several medals and laurels in Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. The athlete acknowledges that the hard work put in here laid the foundation for his athletic career. People here have now acknowledged his contribution to sports by naming the colony after him. — TNS