New Delhi. When former Indian athlete Sucha Singh was awarded the Arjuna Award (Lifetime) after a long wait, the joy of receiving it could be felt in his tearful eyes and choked voice, but the pain of the Punjab government’s neglect is still on his tongue. Only goes. After the announcement of the Arjuna Award, all the resentment of 74 year old Singh from Punjab was gone because finally the country honored his achievements. He kept filling the form for Arjuna Award for 10 years and had given up hope after getting tired.
Singh said in a conversation with ‘Bhasha’, “Receiving the Arjuna Award was the reward for the hard work of my entire life. I had worked hard to win a medal for the country, but I was saddened by my achievements being ignored, which now This award ended it. ” While saying this, his eyes filled with tears. Recalling his sporting days, he said, “When I joined the army in 1965 during the war, I used to practice for my competitions along with training. I was quite good at Kabaddi and running, but the army coach asked me to concentrate on running. I did not have running shoes which then cost Rs 400 and my salary was Rs 150. ,
Even from the Punjab government he did not get the respect he expected. He said, “Punjab government never honored me like other state governments do, I got an envelope of Rs 100 for my achievements whereas I had added Rs 800 to attend the function, out of which Rs 200 So it was the friends who got it finished in celebration. Talking about the facilities provided to the players during his time, he said, “At that time, there were not so many facilities for the players, there were no sponsors. There was no track for running; Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was built in 1982 when the Asian Games were hosted in New Delhi. I didn’t have running shoes or a track suit. ,
Singh said, “Earlier there were not so many coaches and equipment for practice. Now the times have changed. Now the achievements of the players are fully respected. ”He was selected to represent the country in the 1972 Munich Olympics but due to injury he could not participate and his dream of playing in this sporting extravaganza could not be fulfilled. Singh, who won the country a silver medal in the 4×400 meter relay in the Sixth Asian Games in Bangkok in 1970, is filled with enthusiasm while talking about his early days and the passion and hard work with which he used to bring the country a medal. .
After serving in the army for eight years, he went to Tata Steel in Jamshedpur in 1973 where his salary increased to Rs 5000. Singh said, “Despite my excellent performance in sports, I did not get ‘commission’ in the army. However, there was an increase of only five rupees on promotion. Then I went to Jamshedpur and remained in Tata Steel as their best athlete. During this period, he won a silver medal in the 4×400 meter relay in the seventh Asian Games held in Tehran in 1974 and then a gold medal in the second Asian Athletics Championship held in Seoul, South Korea the next year. Although Singh could not play in the Olympics, he made a comeback and also participated in the Veterans Tournament. Before this, he kept filling the form for Arjuna Award continuously for 10 years but then stopped.
