Latest news with #FaujaSingh
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Governor Kataria to attend Fauja Singh's cremation on July 20
Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria will attend the cremation of world-renowned marathoner Fauja Singh, who died at the age of 114 after being hit by a vehicle, at his native Beas village in Jalandhar district on Sunday. Fauja Singh, famously known as 'Turbaned Tornado' and 'Sikh Superman', was killed in a hit-and-run accident in Jalandhar district's Beas village on July 14. (HT) Kataria remained an admirer of Fauja Singh, attending anti-drug campaigns with him in Punjab in December last year. Fauja Singh, famously known as 'Turbaned Tornado' and 'Sikh Superman', suffered fatal head injuries on July 14 after a white Toyota Fortuner hit him while he was crossing a road in his village. He passed away later that day. Singh was the world's oldest marathon runner, and had become a global symbol of endurance and healthy aging. The accused driver, Amritpal Singh, 26, a Canada-based NRI from the nearby Dasupur village, was arrested by police on July 15. He is facing charges under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 281 (rash driving) and 125-A (endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Amritpal had come from Canada eight days before the accident and recently purchased the Toyota Fortuner (PB 20-C-7100) from a Kapurthala resident.
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Fate, not time, outran this turbaned Tornado
At an age when most people soothe their soles and massage sagging egos, Fauja Singh was lacing up his trainers for another bout with himself, for he was his own rival of his age on the asphalt track. The tentative strolls in the courtyard were not for him. He preferred the top variant – the marathon, all 26.2 miles of it. This remarkable specimen of health and determination was a man of contradictions. Until the very end of his extraordinary life, cut short at 114, Singh remained a human paradox: delicate in frame, yet indefatigable in spirit; quiet of demeanour with a thundering legacy. He did not need a stopwatch to run. Time stopped to meet his pace. Fauja Singh was the youngest of four (talkative), as he was called, was born in Beas village in Jalandhar in 1911. Fragile as a newborn, his parents were worried when he wobbled trying to walk even at five. In the end, it was his legs that would carry him to global fame on their shoulders. He had an uneventful life, the lone high point being his move to the UK in 1993, after his wife and a son passed away in Punjab. Bent with age and sorrow, he was on the brink of exhaustion. He said to himself, Hello, why am I wallowing in self-pity? His salvation came in the form of running. He left his grief behind as he pumped his muscles, pounding his feet on the paved streets. At 89, he ran his first marathon. Longevity, for him, was a matter of academic interest. The world began to notice him. First with amusement, then awe and finally, adoration. He kept himself fit. People loved him for his joie de vivre, his friendly face with the mouth always creasing into a smile and, yes, the twinkle in his eyes. He ran nine full marathons, including six London Marathons, and several half marathons, his last official engagement at the age of 101. He ran in the UK and abroad, in London, Hong Kong, New York, and Toronto, remaining fit and agile as he grew older, a living testament to human potential.
The Guardian
19 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘When you get old, you become young again': remembering Fauja Singh, the marathon man
The first 20 miles of a marathon are not difficult, Fauja Singh once said. When it came to the last six miles, however, 'I run while talking to God.' The fact that he was attempting the distance at all might seem, to some, proof of divine assistance. Singh was 89 when he first took up distance running, having stumbled across a TV snippet of people running a marathon, and decided to give it a go. By his mid-90s he was a marathon veteran, a record holder for his age group and even a poster model for Adidas; aged 101 – or at least so he believed, since he never had a birth certificate – he became the oldest person ever to run the distance. This week, at the age of 114, Singh's race finally came to an end. He was hit by a car while crossing the road in his birth village of Beas Pind, near Jalandhar in Punjab, and suffered fatal injuries. A man has been arrested, according to Indian police. At Singh's former home in Ilford, east London, where he discovered running and trained for his athletic feats, his friends have been remembering a man who, in the words of his former trainer Harmander Singh (no relation), was 'an icon of humanity and a powerhouse of positivity'. 'We wouldn't say we were ready for [his death], but these circumstances certainly didn't help,' he said on Thursday, from the park where they used to train together. 'It did catch us by surprise.' Fauja Singh had spent the first eight decades of his life as a farmer in his small Punjabi village, where he was born in 1911, had married and raised six children, but never learned to read or write. After his wife died in the early 90s and their sole remaining son in the village was killed in an accident, he moved to Ilford to be close to other family members. It was here that Singh, griefstricken and speaking no English, was flicking through a TV set when he stumbled across footage of the 1999 New York marathon. 'He wanted to know what this race was because he couldn't relate to why people were running for so long,' says Harmander, 65. 'He didn't know what a marathon was. He was told it was 26 miles. He'd done a 20km walk a few months earlier, and he couldn't tell the difference between a mile and a kilometre. He said, 'Well, I can do another six.'' Through mutual friends he was introduced to Harmander, a keen amateur distance runner who had informally trained a few others, and had a keen eye for publicity. Though applications for the coming London marathon had closed, he helped to secure Singh a charity place. 'Then I had to explain to him what a charity was and what kind of different charities there were.' It was to be the first of many marathons, and other feats besides. The 52kg (8st 2lb) runner in his trademark yellow turban and long white beard may have seemed fragile, but a lifetime of hard physical work had made him strong. At 100, he set five age-related world records in a day, at distances from 100 metres to 5,000 metres. But though Singh was widely acclaimed as the first centenarian and oldest ever marathon runner, his lack of paperwork meant that his feat was never acknowledged by the Guinness World Records (the lack of paperwork did not, incidentally, stop him acquiring a British passport at around the same time). It's a subject on which his coach is still sore on his behalf, but Singh was untroubled, he says. 'He didn't care. He said, 'Who's Guinness?'' Any money he earned was given to charity, says his coach. Nonetheless, Singh undoubtedly enjoyed his celebrity: a children's book, Fauja Singh Keeps Going, and a Bollywood movie, Fauja, were inspired by his story. 'I think the attention kept him alive,' says Harmander. 'Another one of his sayings was, 'When you get old, you become young again, because you want attention.' 'He was fascinated, dazzled, because everything was glittering to him.' Needless to say, Harmander believes Singh's example shows you are never too old to run. 'I never ask people for their age,' he says – assuming they have been cleared by their doctor to run, he'll ask them to focus on their motivations. 'Because I'll remind them, when they're slacking later, why they wanted to do it in the first place.' The east London running club he founded, called Sikhs in the City, is now fundraising for a new clubhouse in memory of its most celebrated former member. Despite its name, says Harmander, it is open to all. In Singh's case, after a hard physical life and so much loss, running represented a distraction from his immense grief, his coach says. 'When I asked him about his motivations, he said, 'I just wanted to do something useful rather than dwell on the past.''
Time of India
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- Time of India
Fauja Singh's 2013 visit to Ludhiana: Reliving a cherished memory
Ludhiana: The global running community mourns the loss of legendary centenarian marathon runner, Fauja Singh, who tragically lost his life in a road accident. His remarkable January, 2013 visit to Nankana Sahib Public School remains a treasured memory for the city. At 102 years old, Fauja Singh arrived at the school in formal attire, proceeding directly to the grounds where students had gathered. Principal Harmeet Kaur Waraich, who continues to lead the institution, recounts how he surprised everyone by heading straight to the playground. The students watched in awe as Fauja Singh removed his formal wear to reveal his tracksuit underneath. He began running, inspiring the students to join him. While the young participants tired after a few laps, he completed seven without apparent effort. Following his demonstration, he gathered the students for a heart to heart discussion. "He told them to stay away from bad habits, eat healthy, and live with discipline," said Waraich, adding, "He urged them to always remain in chardi kala (high spirits), saying, 'anything is possible.'" The celebrated runner personally greeted each child, offering blessings and encouragement. His simple lifestyle included a daily routine of two alsi pinnis with tea. Dr Davinder Singh Chhina, director, Punjab Cultural Promotion Council, who facilitated Fauja Singh's visit, describes it as a remarkable occasion. Starting his running career in his eighties, Fauja Singh became both a fitness icon and a representative of Sikh identity, distinguished by his turban and beard. His enduring influence continues to inspire people worldwide, demonstrating the power of perseverance and determination.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Fauja Singh hit-and-run case: 'Driver was not an enemy,' says son; 'could have shown humanity'
NEW DELHI: Late marathoner Fauja Singh's son condemned the driver accused in the hit-and-run case involving his father, criticizing him for showing 'no humanity' by fleeing the scene instead of helping Singh get medical attention. "I have read that he claimed he did not know whom he had hit. However, he was a local and should have known that someone elderly had been struck by his vehicle. Had he not fled the scene and taken my father to the hospital, maybe that could have saved his life," Harvinder Singh told PTI on Friday. "He was not our enemy; he could have approached us and admitted it was him. At least for humanity's sake, he should have come forward. Now, the police have taken action in the matter and the case is in their hands," he added. The final rites for Fauja Singh, renowned as the world's oldest marathoner, will be performed at 12pm on Sunday in his native village of Beas, located in Jalandhar. Gurpreet Singh Dhillon was arrested on Tuesday night and remanded to judicial custody the next day in connection with the hit-and-run case involving Fauja Singh. Police said Dhillon had returned to Punjab just three weeks ago and confirmed his vehicle was seized. Originally from Dasupur in Kartarpur, Dhillon had gone to Canada on a tourist visa and later obtained a work permit valid until 2027. He was apprehended at his residence in Dasupur, which is close to Fauja Singh's village, Beas. Leaders across the political spectrum mourned the passing of the marathoner, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighting his remarkable spirit and lasting influence in motivating Indian youth to embrace fitness. "Fauja Singh Ji was truly remarkable, inspiring India's youth with his unique personality and approach to the vital topic of fitness. He was an outstanding athlete with unwavering determination. His passing has caused great sorrow. My condolences are with his family and his countless admirers around the world," PM Modi said in a post on X.
