We will celebrate life of legend by running, says Fauja’s coach in London

As the cremation of marathoner Fauja Singh will be held on Sunday at his native Beas village in Jalandhar, there are plans to pay tribute to the life and legacy of the British Sikh even at Ilford in East London tomorrow morning, where he spent over two decades.

Fauja Singh shared an extraordinary bond with his British coach, friend and guiding force for over 25 years Harmander Singh (66) who has planned the event for him.

Talking to The Tribune over phone from London, Harmander Singh said, “Fauja Singh’s funeral will be held at 12 noon on Sunday in India. The club ‘Sikhs In The City’ has invited all local runners to complete at least 114 laps of his 2 km training route. We plan to celebrate him here too."

Fauja Singh, once said in his conversation with media, “Main mamuli jeha banda, main hath aa gaya changge bande de (I am just an ordinary man, but I ended up in the hands of a great person)." He was then mentioning his coach Harmander Singh.

Fauja Singh, an enduring icon in both sporting and Sikh communities, credited much of his journey to the man (Harmander Singh), he fondly referred to as “a good soul who gave him direction”.

Harmander reflected on their decades-long friendship, and said, “You ask anybody in the world that name any famous Sikh — they will say Fauja Singh.”

Their paths crossed on November 14, 1999, when Fauja Singh was introduced to Harmander by former’s son. “He was special from the day I met him,” Harmander recalled. “He turned up for coaching for the London Marathon wearing a three-piece suit. I told him to take off the jacket, or it would look like he was running away from a crime scene,” he recalled his conversation with Fauja fondly. Fauja smiled, removed the jacket, and the two began a journey that would make history.

Before beginning training, Harmander asked questions like if he had clearance from his doctor to run or if he had any underlying disease, ensuring Fauja had medical clearance. “When I asked him (Fauja) why he wanted to run, he said it was a distraction from grief he was going through after loss of his son,” Harmander said. That grief, transformed into a purpose.

Despite global fame, Fauja Singh remained humble and principled. Harmander said, “He would never take money if someone ever gave him, but would keep gifts or things carrying sentimental values. That’s just who he was.” he said.

To Harmander, Fauja Singh was more than an athlete. “He reminded me of my father. He was religious, simple and an icon of humanity.”

Punjab