GK Treasure Trove

  Biographical Facts on Milkha Singh v   Milkha Singh missed winning the bronze medal by 0.1 seconds to come fourth in the 1960 Olympics in Rome.  v   Milkha Singh, also known as the Flying Sikh, was born on October 17, 1935, in Lyallpur, Pakistan [now Faisalabad], and died in Chandigarh, India, on June 18th, 2021. He became an orphan during the Partition of India and emigrated to India in 1947. v   As a young boy who lived in a remote village in Multan province, he saw his parents and seven siblings murdered during the Partition of India and the creation of Pakistan in 1947. v   As his father fell, his last words were "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", exhorting his son to run for his life. The boy ran - first to save his life, and then to win medals. v   He started working as a cleaner at a shop for a monthly salary of 10 rupees. He also enrolled in the ninth grade at a school, but did not continue.  v   Padma Shri Milkha Singh, known as the Flying Si...

  Biographical Facts on P.T. Usha v   Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha v   P.T. Usha was born on 27th June 1964 into a poor household in Calicut, Kerala, in the small town of Payyoli. v   O. M. Nambiar, an athletic coach, first noticed her in 1976 at a sports price distribution ceremony. v   She was raised in severe poverty and struggled with several health issues. Her extraordinary commitment to sports and athletics earned her the nickname “Payyoli Express,” which translates as “Queen of Indian Track & Field” in English. v   She was nominated as a Rajya Sabha MP in 2022 by the central government. v   Her time (55.42 seconds) was a new national record that stands to date.  v   Overall, Usha won 23 medals in the Asian track and field events from the 1980s; 14 were gold. v   PT Usha’s greatest moment on track and her biggest heartbreak came when she missed out on a Bronze Medal by 1/100th of a second in the 400-meter hurdles at the...

  Biographical Facts on Mariappan Thangavelu v   At Rio 2016, Mariappan Thangavelu won India’s first Paralympic gold medal since 2004 with victory in the men’s high jump v   He won a silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics in the Men's High Jump v   Born in a poor family in Periavadagampatti village (Salem) in Tamil Nadu, Mariyappan’s father abandoned the family when Mariyappan was a small kid. His mother, Saroj singlehandedly raised him and his three siblings. His mother used to work as a laborer to make ends meet. Later on, she switched to selling vegetables. v   Mariyappan suffered a major accident when he was just 5 years old. He was walking to his school when he was run over by a drunken bus driver. The bus ran over Mariyappan's leg which permanently crushed his leg below the knee. His mother Saroja took a loan of three lakh rupees for Mariyappan’s treatment. Unfortunately, he was left with stunted growth and permanent disability. Mariyappan did not quit an...