SARDAR FAUJA SINGH- MARATHON RUNNER

 SARDAR FAUJA SINGH started his career as a marathon runner at the age of 89 and is a huge inspiration to runners all round the world. He has completed nine marathons and carried the Flame while it was in London for the 2004 Athens Games. His current personal best time for the London Marathon in 2003 is 6 hours 2 minutes but with a world best of 5 hours 40 minutes in the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2003. In the same event in 2011 .HE became the first 100 year old to complete a marathon in just over eight hours after setting world records in eight distances from 100m to 5000m just 72 hours earlier. In April 2012 he completed the London Marathon in 7 hours 49 minutes at the age of 101. HE has raised tens of thousands for various charities globally through his running.HE WAS TORCH BEARER IN LONDON OLYMPICS 2012. HE HAS RAISED NAME OF SIKHS ,PUNJABIS IN THE WORLD. MAY HE LIVE LONG.

(Story as provided by the Torchbearer’s nominator)

SHAHID BHAGAT SINGH- A TRUE PUNJABI

SARDAR .Bhagat Singh  27 September 1907 – 23 March 1931, Devanagari: भगत सिंह, Gurumukhi: ਭਗਤ ਸਿੰਘ ) was an Indian nationalist considered to be one of the most influential revolutionaries of the Indian independence movement. He is often referred to as ShaheedBhagat Singh, the word Shaheed meaning "martyr" in a number of Indian languages. Born into a Sandhu Jat Sikh family which had earlier been involved in revolutionary activities against the British Raj, as a teenager Singh studied European revolutionary movements and was attracted to anarchist and marxist ideologies. He became involved in numerous revolutionary organizations, and quickly rose through the ranks of theHindustan Republican Association (HRA) to become one of its main leaders, eventually changing its name to the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) in 1928.

Seeking revenge for the death of Lala Lajpat Rai at the hands of the police, Singh was involved in the assassination of British police officer John Saunders. He eluded efforts by the police to capture him. Together with Batukeshwar Dutt, he undertook a successful effort to throw two bombs and leaflets inside the Central Legislative Assembly while shouting slogans of Inquilab Zindabad. Subsequently they volunteered to surrender and be arrested. Held on this charge, he gained widespread national support when he underwent a 116 day fast in jail, demanding equal rights for British and Indian political prisoners. During this time, sufficient evidence was brought against him for a conviction in the Saunders case, after trial by a Special Tribunal and appeal at the Privy Council in England. He was convicted and subsequently hanged for his participation in the murder, aged 23. His legacy prompted youth in India to begin fighting for Indian independence and he continues to be a youth idol in modern India, as well as the inspiration for several films. He is commemorated with a large bronze statue in the Parliament of India, as well as a range of other memorials.