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He Came, He Saw, He Conquered:
Fauja Singh Down Under

MANPREET KAUR SINGH

 

 

 

He came, he met the Australians, and he conquered … that’s the easiest way to describe Sardar Fauja Singh’s first-ever trip to the land down under.

As we went to receive him at the airport on March 22, 2013, we wondered if the 102-year old would opt for a ride on a wheelchair after the gruelling flight from London to Melbourne, and whether he’d be tired and grumpy as normal people usually are after long international hauls.

But out came Fauja Singh walking briskly, beaming a bright smile, delighted to set foot in the one country he had not yet visited, with his son Sukhjinder Singh trying to match his step!

All misplaced fears I had about how he would climb the stairs to his designated bedroom on the first floor of our house, dissipated instantly!

Over the next 12 days, it was I who had to struggle to keep pace with Fauja Singh,  whether it was meeting the kangaroos and the koalas, or enjoying a game of Australian Football at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground), or watching giddha, bhangra and kabaddi at numerous functions, or addressing large audiences.

He seemed comfortable everywhere, bursting forth with infectious energy and enthusiastically embracing every new experience. Not once did he complain that he was tired, and even when I nudged him to go home after a full day of commitments, he’d say ,”Koi nahi, bibi, khatam ho len de.”

People know him as a marathon runner, a record-breaker and the nearest thing to a real, living super-man, but I saw a very different side of Fauja Singh during this trip.

For one thing, he is a style icon. The diligence with which he gets ready and the stylish way in which he coordinates his clothes can give any couture specialist a run for their money!

When he landed at Melbourne airport, he wore a brown suit, brown shirt, brown tie, brown shoes and, of course, a brown puggrhi.

Day Two, as we headed off to the SBS (Special Broadcasting Service) media conference, he wore a black suit, black shirt, black tie, black shoes – and, you guessed it, black puggrhi.

Day Three was all blue, Day Four was all steel grey and Day Five was off-white, from head to toe – from puggrhi to shoes, looking elegant and grand every single day!

Yes, he had indeed brought ten pairs of shoes with him!

I knew he ate little, so most of the days breakfast was porridge and a pinni (he loves pinni). Lunch was fruit (he loves mangoes) with a light sandwich. And dinner was simple roti-subzi.

But boy, he doesn’t mind a veggie pizza or some pasta every now and then. And he eats it perfectly with a fork and knife. Even though he prefers to hold the fork in the right hand and the knife in the left, never once did he screech the plate with his cutlery, as most others are probably guilty of, on many occasions! His other weakness is Dugumna …

You might ask, what’s that? Well, that’s what he calls McDonalds. He loves their fries and strawberry shakes … so even though I tried to lure him away with the best juice franchise in Australia, he still swears by the Dugumna shake and their fries. But then, he’s also quick to point out, “bol oh jo samajh aa jaave, khana oh jo pach jaave … Speak only what others will understand and eat only what you can digest”.

Speaking about food, the questions he was asked most repeatedly was, “What’s your special diet? What’s the secret of your longevity? What do you eat?”

His simple answer was, ‘Meri khuraak khushi hai – happiness is my special diet. I stay away from negativity and surround myself with positive people and do things that make me happy.”

Fauja Singh also believes in the importance of moderation – according to him, more people die of over-eating than from starvation – “loki kha ke murdey hain, pukheh nahi murdey.

Another thing I learnt to admire him was his patience. He may have been asked the same question again and again, but he always answered with the same diligence and honesty as he did the first time. Even if we prompted him to wrap up the answer quickly, he’d say, ”Bhai, mere to(n) short gull nahi hundi. Hun unha sawaal pucheya hai, main te poora jawwab doonga.”

Just like he painstakingly autographed all his biographies that were quickly lapped up by his fans in Australia – another person could have squiggled a couple of lines to pass off as an autograph, but Fauja diligently signed every single book, taking almost 45 seconds each, to inscribe his name perfectly in Urdu …

For a simple, uneducated farmer who gained celebrity so late in life, one may think he could be overwhelmed by it all. Walking for just 200 metres with him can take half an hour because of countless fans wanting to touch his feet, talk to him and take pictures with him; I’ve witnessed taxis (driven by Sikhs) in the heart of Melbourne screeching to a halt at the sight of Fauja Singh walking along the road, with the driver pleading, “Babaji, please wait. I’ll park the car and be with you in a minute!”

We’ve been honked numerous times at traffic lights where we’d stopped, with cars alongside trying to get our attention so they could just say ‘Sat Sri Akal’ to Fauja Singh.

Even at the “Run for the Kids“ where 35,000 Melbournians ran for charity and Fauja was the spearhead of the team, “Flying Sikhs”, hundreds of Australians posed for countless photos with him … one would think that this adulation could be off-putting for him. But seeing him interact with his thousands of fans, I believe this is what energizes him. He hates to say “no’ to anyone, he complies with every request, sometimes standing and posing for photos for well over 45 minutes at a stretch! And he does it without the air of being a celebrity – somehow, he maintains his warmth and humility!

Undoubtedly though, Australia has impressed him.

For one thing, the Sikhs here and their steadfast adherence to their culture has enthralled him. Apart from that, when we went to the MCG as special guests of the Richmond Football Club, he was escorted down to the change rooms where he met some of the players.

Language was never a barrier as he showed the players how he warms-up for his marathon runs, and encouraged them to follow suit. He later said: “Australian boys are very handsome and well built”, and he thoroughly enjoyed our game of footy!

Ever inquisitive, Fauja loved the flora and fauna of Australia as well. He wasn’t too impressed by the first kangaroos he saw (“they’re too weak, he said), but later, he was intrigued at how the mother kangaroo carried a joey (its baby) in her pouch. He even held a kangaroo by its tail and only then was he impressed by its strength! Even when he went birthday-shopping on April 1, he conceded, “Ujj mera gumaaan tut gayaa hai. I thought London was the best place to shop, but I can see that Australia is better.”

And we in Australia did get a big tick-mark, especially for our mangoes!

But, yes, there is one thing does bothers him. He doesn’t like to be reminded that he is 102 years old!

As he said on his grand 102nd birthday celebration here in Melbourne, “My heart sinks when you repeatedly tell me I’m 102 now. Then I think, Oh God! That’s too old”.

But what really does irritate him is when octogenarians and nonagenarians come upto him repeatedly and say “Baba ji, I’m 87 years old … I’m 95 years old.” That really annoys him. As he said, “Main koi kursinama likhna hai, ya koi certificate vundna hai?”

And that perhaps is Fauja’s trick – he doesn’t believe in numbers, he doesn’t believe in milestones or achievements. He is happy just being himself, living with honesty, integrity and a child-like inquisitiveness for learning more and more. What was most impressive was his knowledge of world affairs – the recession in Europe and even the reports of racial violence against Indians in Australia. And he was very happy to note that all those rumours were untrue and that Sikhs and Indians in Australia were living happily and prosperously.

So as I watched him pack all the trophies, plaques and momentos into his suitcase – “I’ll have them displayed at my special cupboard in the Ilford gurdwara on Wednesday,” he said – I felt a twang in the heart, because I knew that this experience of a lifetime was coming to an end.

He may have packed his memories into that vinyl–case, but he has left behind a treasure-chest of goodwill and unforgettable memories for all Australians, especially me.

But then his biographer, Khushwant Singh’s words rang in my ears. Khushwant had also accompanied Fauja to Sydney and Melbourne and he had said at one of the functions: ”The Sikh community must learn to share Fauja Singh with the rest of the world. He is a gift to humanity and should be cherished as such.”

Indeed, his persona is too big to remain confined to a race, a religion, a city or even a country. And full credit to his family -- his son, Sukhjinder, and all the others – for sharing their grand old man with us, not just in Australia, but with all of the world.

We as a community must certainly do the same!

So as I sit back and think of all the wonderful moments my family and I were privileged enough to share with Sardar Fauja Singh -- and as I finish the special pinnis he’s left uneaten and plan a visit to Dugumna with my kids – I’m already counting down to his next visit to our land down under.

He may be a turbaned tornado to most of the world, but to me, he is a tranquil teacher, a repository of knowledge and history, and a lively elder of the family, whose visit to Australia will always remain a highlight of my life.

The audio recordings and interviews with Fauja Singh from his trip to Australia can be accessed by CLICKING here.

For photos and more on Fauja Singh via Facebook, please CLICK here. 

 

[Edited for sikhchic.com]

April 16, 2013

 

Conversation about this article

1: Harminder Singh (Jalandhar, Punjab), April 17, 2013, 2:11 AM.

Congratulations, Manpreet, for such a beautiful piece about S. Fauja Singh ji.

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