Meeting the big shots

From where to where! Milka Singh started introducing me to everybody.

One of the people he introduced me to was the President of the Singapore Athletics Association. His name was Chandra. When Milka Singh told him, “He will meditate to inaugurate the games in Puerto Rico,” Chandra grabbed me and said, “You have to sit with my delegation today in our box.” He wouldn’t allow me to sit with the Indians. Then he also started telling people what a great man I was.

Then the President of the Athletics Association in Thailand started speaking to me in broken English. He said, “May I speak to you for a while?”

Suddenly I had become a big shot. I said to Milka Singh, “I have come here for a T-shirt - don’t forget!”

Milka Singh said, “Definitely you will get a T-shirt, but I really want to honour you. Please don’t curse us.”

— 31 March 1983