Milkha Singh’s wife Nirmal dies of Covid

Nirmal Milkha Singh, wife of track legend Milkha, died on Sunday after losing a three-week battle against Covid-19. Nirmal, 85, a former India volleyball captain, breathed her last at Fortis Hospital in Mohali.

Milkha, who contracted the disease first, is in ICU at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh. He was hospitalised first, and returned home and was admitted again.

Nirmal’s health deteriorated a few days after she was hospitalised in the last week of May. Her oxygen level dropped and she was put on HFNC (high flow nasal cannula) and NIV (non-invasive ventilator) intermittently. She was stable but her condition did not improve.

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Milkha, 91, was also initially admitted to Fortis Hospital. When his condition improved, he went home while his wife remained in the hospital. Their son, ace golfer Jeev, and sister Mona, who is a doctor based in the US, were co-ordinating treatment.

The family released a statement on Sunday, “We are deeply saddened to inform you that Mrs Nirmal Milkha Singh passed away after a valiant battle against COVID at 4 PM today. Former Director of Sports for Women in the Punjab government and former captain of the Indian Women’s National Volleyball Team, Nirmal ji fought a valiant battle till the very end.

The statement added: “It is tragic that the Flying Sikh Milkha Singh ji could not attend the cremation which was conducted this evening itself … The family has expressed its grateful thanks to everyone for their solidarity and prayers right through the battle which gave them the strength to face it bravely.”

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Nirmal was born in Sheikhupura, Pakistan, on October 8, 1938. She was captain of the Punjab volleyball team on three occasions. She had a masters degree in political science. In 1955, she led the team on a tour of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), where she met Milkha. They were married in 1962. She was known to wear ‘salwar kameez’ instead of shorts or skirts at national and international tournaments.

Nirmal was director of sports for women in the Punjab government. “Madam played a huge role in building Chandigarh’s sports infrastructure. The Sector 42, 7 and 46 sports complexes were built during her tenure. She made sure Chandigarh had the best sports facilities. Her contribution towards developing sports complexes and playgrounds in Chandigarh, including the hockey and tennis stadiums, has been significant. The standard of sports also improved. Besides national meets, she organised an international level regatta and hockey championship. Chandigarh successfully hosted Asian level rowing and water-sports tournament in 1989. She was always very kind to poor athletes,” said Vijaypal Singh, secretary of the Volleyball Federation of India and Chandigarh Volleyball Association.

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