The Olympics is a huge deal, it takes years of practice and patience to reach that stadium to showcase one’s talent in front of the whole world. When it is an international event, we obviously expect our participants to be in good shape and lead a stabilized life.
But here’s the list of some greatest Indian athletes who died of poverty:
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1. Makhan Singh
Makhan Singh is the only Indian athlete who beat Milkha Singh, in a 400-meter-race. He was also a part of the Indian men’s 4×400 meter relay and 4×100 meter relay teams in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. But due to unforeseen, he lost his leg as he went through an accident. He had to live out his rest days in poverty and eventually died.
2. Shankar Laxman
Laxman was a member of the Indian hockey men’s team gold winning squad in 1956 and 1958. He played 3 successful Olympics finals for India. But due to deep poverty at the age of 73, he died and the main reason was abject poverty while suffering from gangrene.
3. Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav
Jadhav won Bronze in the freestyle event 57 kg category for India. He was the first winner of an individual medal for India after 1947. He was deprived of his pension and due to his deep-rooted poverty and negligence, he passed away.
4. Major Dhyan Chand
His birthday is celebrated as National Sports Day in India. Which shows how good of a sportsman he was. He scored more than 400 goals in his international career. Despite being so good in sports, the last years of his life passed due to poverty.
5. Sita Sahu
Sita was a special Olympics medalist during the Olympics 2011 in Athens. She is originally from Madhya Pradesh, but due to her financial instability, she had to sell golgappas and chats to get her bread. That was her only source of income since her husband never had the capability to ask for a proper physical job. She said,
“I don’t even remember the last time my family had a complete meal. We have been forced to sell chaats as my husband cannot take on a physically demanding job. This is our only source of income and life has been going on like this for the past many years. The lack of support or empathy occasionally does demoralise me; even the government has not helped us.”
It was only 3 years after that the government rewarded her a sum of Rs 3 lakh.
7. Mohd. Yousuf Khan
Yousuf was popularly known as, ‘the bearded horse’ because he was so good at his game and participation. He was also one of the best football players India ever had. Back during the Asian Games in 1962, his part was immaculate. In 1966 he was presented with the Arjuna Awards as well.
Even though he did so much for the nation, the nation let him down. His last days were terrible, he suffered from Parkinson’s disease and then a terrible heart attack.
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8. Sarwan Singh
Singh represented Indian during the Asian Games hosted back in 1954 during the 110-meter hurdle event. By covering 110 meters in just 14.7 seconds he won the gold medal for India. But due to poverty and unavoidable circumstances, he had to sell that medal just so that he had something to live on and continue his life. Tragic.
9. Maria Irudayam
Maria Irudayam is the only man who won the Arjuna Award for carom. He was also known as the Sachin Tendulkar of Carom. Not only that he won the National Championship back in 1982 and he won the state championship in 1981. He re-won the title in 1995. Right now he runs the Periyamedu Carrom Practice center. But even though he is so talented and so deserving he lives a life of a middle-class person.
10. Paan Singh Tomar
An Indian soldier, a rebel, and a very talented athlete. He was a seven-time winner in the national steeplechase championship. Paan Singh Tomar represented Indian in Asian games hosted in Tokyo back in 1958.
His national record for 3000-meter steeplechase event of nine minutes and two seconds in remained unbroken for ten years. He had to leave his sporting career to become a dacoit and was shot by Inspector Mahendra Pratap Singh.
11. Bir Bahadur
Known as forward Cheetah, the former footballer Bir Bahadur, was part of the team that finished twice as a runner up in the National Football Championship. He had to sell chaat and pani poori in Hyderabad for living.
There are countless other sports persons in this country who continue to suffer from similar fates. And it is our responsibility to tell the government that they cannot accept the poor of this country to win medals for the country while it continues to fail them.
Also read: 6 Sad Reality That Show How Hard Our Champions Struggle To Get Basic Amenities
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