Milkha Singh has led a life dominated by running, running, running¦ From a boy who narrowly escaped death during Partition (most of his family was not so lucky), to a juvenile delinquent who stole and outran the police, to a young Army recruit who ran his very first race to win special privileges for himself (a daily glass of milk). After that first race, Milkha Singh became an athlete by default. And what followed was the stuff legends are made of.

In this remarkably candid autobiography, Milkha Singh shares the amazing highs of winning India's first ever gold in athletics at the Commonwealth Games, the unbridled joy of being hailed as the 'Flying Sikh' in Pakistan, as well as the shattering low of failure at the Olympics.

Simple, yet ambitious; famous, yet grounded; temptations all around him, yet remaining celibate so he could focus on racing; a rich and beautiful girl who was desperate for him, yet fighting the world to marry his lady love, Nimmi even as the on-field drama found its way into his personal life, Milkha was a man who defined his own destiny. And yet, for a man whose life was dominated by sports, he continues to remain disillusioned with the way sports is run..

Powerful and gripping, The Race of My Life documents the journey of an impoverished refugee who rose to become one of the most towering figures in Indian sports.

About The Author

Born in 1932 in undivided India, Milkha Singh joined the army in 1951. Arguably, India's best male athlete, he received the Padma Shri at the height of his career in 1958. Although he stopped participating in competitive events in the early 1960s, he has dedicated his life to sports. He retired as Director of Sports and Youth Programme, Punjab Government, in 1991.

He established the Milkha Charitable Trust in 2003 in Chandigarh to help poor and needy sportspersons and their families. The Farhan Akhtar-starrer, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, is a biographical film about Milkha Singh's early life and career.