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Summary

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{{Short description|Autobiography by Milkha Singh Indian athlete}}
{{Infobox book
| italic title = 
| name = The Race of My Life: An Autobiography
| image = File:The Race of My Life.jpeg
| image_size =
| caption = Coverage page of ''The Race of My Life''
| alt =
| author = [[Milkha Singh]] with Sonia Sanwalka

| title_orig =
| orig_lang_code =
| title_working =
| translator =
| illustrator =
| cover_artist =
| country = India
| language = English
| series =
| subject = Indian Athlete
| genre = autobiography
| published = 2013 by [[Rupa Publications]]

| media_type =
| pages = 160 pp (''first edition'')
| awards =
| isbn = 8129129108

| oclc = 857897315
| dewey =
| congress =
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
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| exclude_cover =
}}

'''''The Race of My Life: An Autobiography''''' is the autobiography of Indian athlete [[Milkha Singh]], coauthored with daughter Sonia Sanwalka.<ref>{{cite web | title = THE RACE OF MY LIFE: An Autobiography | publisher = Rupa Publications | url = http://www.rupapublications.co.in/books/race-my-life-autobiography | access-date = 2014-08-07 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130712015624/http://www.rupapublications.co.in/books/race-my-life-autobiography | archive-date = 2013-07-12 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/zqnhgnEijysVEmD6DfEhrJ/Milkha-Singh--My-God-my-religion-my-beloved.html |title=Milkha Singh: 'My God, my religion, my beloved' |publisher=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]], Lounge |date=10 July 2013 |access-date=7 August 2014}}</ref> The film ''[[Bhaag Milkha Bhaag]]'' is based on it.

==Summary==
Milkha Singh, a [[Sikhs|sikh]] boy born around 1930s,{{efn|There are different records for his birth date. Records in Pakistan note it as November 20, 1929. Other records note it as October 17, 1935 and November 20, 1935. The birthdate is written November 20, 1932, on his passport.}} runs against trains for fun. A lot of his family who belong to [[Milkha Singh|Rajput]] [[Milka rajput|family]], including his parents, are killed in the [[Partition of India]]. After many attempts, he is finally able to join the Indian army. Whilst in the army, his athletic skills show. He wins gold medals in the [[1958 Asian Games]] and [[1958 Commonwealth Games]]. After winning the friendly race between India and Pakistan, in 1960, he earns the title of ''The Flying Sikh'' by [[Ayub Khan (President of Pakistan)|Ayub Khan]]. However, he loses the bronze medal by fraction of a second at the [[1960 Summer Olympics]], due to a judgement error on the race track. In 1963, he marries his longtime love [[Nirmal Saini|Nirmal Kaur]], former captain of India's women's volleyball team. In 1971, their son [[Jeev Milkha Singh]] is born. Jeev, also a sportsman, became a world class golfer.

==''Bhaag Milkha Bhaag''==
Singh said that after reading his autobiography, a few [[Bollywood]] directors approached him, asking to make a film on his life. Singh's son, [[Jeev Milkha Singh]], decided that the film rights be given to [[Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra]]. Singh sold the rights for {{INR}}1, with a clause that 10-15% of the film's profits would be donated to his charitable trust.<ref name="Singh on BMB" />

[[Farhan Akhtar]] starred as Singh, and [[Sonam Kapoor]] starred as Biro–inspired by one of Singh's real love interests. Made on a budget of {{INR}}30 crore,<ref name="budget">{{cite web|url=http://ibnlive.com/news/utv-pulls-out-of-bhaag-milkha-bhaag/223785-70.html |title=UTV pulls out of 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' for 'Paan Singh Tomar' |publisher=Ibnlive.com |access-date=14 August 2013}}</ref> ''Bhaag Milkha Bhaag'' grossed {{INR}}164 crore worldwide. It was one of the [[List of Bollywood films of 2013|highest grossing 2013 Bollywood films]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Worldwide TOP TEN 2013 |date=12 December 2013 |publisher=[[Box Office India]] |url=http://www.boxofficeindia.com/boxnewsdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=6308&nCat= |access-date=2014-08-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104212753/http://www.boxofficeindia.com/boxnewsdetail.php?page=shownews&articleid=6308&nCat= |archive-date=January 4, 2014 }}</ref>

Of the film and Akhtar's portrayal of him, Singh said "Farhan Akhtar has done a brilliant job. He looked like my duplicate in the movie. The director, too, did a great a job. Also, the dialogues and the lyrics by Prasoon Joshi are brilliant. There was nothing which I felt should be changed in the movie, it was perfect."<ref name="Singh on BMB">{{cite web | title = Farhan Akhtar looked like my duplicate in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag: Milkha Singh|publisher= Indian Express | url = http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/farhan-akhtar-looked-like-my-duplicate-in-bhaag-milkha-bhaag-milkha-singh/1133618/|date=June 25, 2013| access-date = 2014-08-07 }}</ref>

==Reception==
''[[IBN Live]]'' panned ''The Race of My Life'' as disappointing, as they felt that it was "nothing but part of a deal for the movie's production."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sahni|first1=Jaspreet|title=Milkha Singh's 'The Race of My Life' is a disappointing package deal|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/milkha-singhs-the-race-of-my-life-is-a-disappointing-package-deal/411374-40-101.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130805194544/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/milkha-singhs-the-race-of-my-life-is-a-disappointing-package-deal/411374-40-101.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 August 2013|publisher=IBN Live|access-date=3 September 2014}}</ref>

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{notelist}}
'''Citations'''
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{OL work}}
*[https://rupapublications.co.in/books/the-race-of-my-life-an-autobiography/ ''The Race of My Life''] at [[Rupa Publications]]
*[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18213522-the-race-of-my-life ''The Race of My Life''] at [[Goodreads]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Race of My Life, The}}
[[Category:Indian autobiographies]]
[[Category:Sports autobiographies]]
[[Category:Autobiographies adapted into films]]
[[Category:Partition of India in fiction]]
[[Category:Rupa Publications books]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian books]]

The Race of My Life - Revision history

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