Rajya Sabha pays homage to Milkha Singh, actor Dilip Kumar

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 19

Bollywood veteran actor Dilip Kumar and legendary sprinter Milkha Singh were among those paid homage by the Rajya Sabha on Monday on the inaugural day of the monsoon session of the House.

Chairman Venkaiah Naidu mentioned that Dilip Kumar was crowned as “Tragedy King” of the Hindi cinema as he had the remarkable ability to transform melancholic roles into award winning performances”.

House Adjourned

• The Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for an hour as a mark of respect to departed sitting MPs Raghunath Mohapatra and Rajeev Satav
• Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu mentioned the passing away of the two sitting MPs as well as 10 former members, including Dilip Kumar & Milkha Singh

“A doyen of Indian film industry and an inspiration to generations of film artists, Dilip Kumar heralded a new era in the film industry at a time when our country was putting behind the shackles of colonial rule,” Naidu said.

Lok Sabha obituary

The Lok Sabha mourned the death of 40 sitting and former MPs. The House also remembered legendary sprinter Milkha Singh and filmstar Dilip Kumar.

A recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, Dilip, who was born in Peshawar in 1922, won the Filmfare Award for the best actor a record eight times, Naidu said, adding that the actor had remained a member of the Rajya Sabha from 2000 to 2006.

Remembering Milkha Singh, Naidu said his life would continue to inspire sportspersons and the general public in the country.

Fondly called “The Flying Sikh”, Milkha Singh was the first athlete of independent India to have won a gold medal at an international sports event (Asian Games 1958), Naidu said.

The members also mourned the death of Ajit Singh, founder of Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) party. Son of former Prime Minister Charan Singh, Ajit Singh remained union minister having key portfolios such as food, industry, agriculture and civil aviation.

The Rajya Sabha also mourned the passing away of sitting members Raghunath Mahapatra and Rajeev Satav. Mahapatra, an architect and sculptor, was a nominated member. He was 78. Rajeev Satav (47) was a Congress member.

The House also mourned the passing away of NM Kamble, Bhagwari Singh, Balihari Babu, Matang Singh, JL Bhatt, Ramendrakumar Yadav, Jagannath Prasad Pahadia and Shanti Pahadia. All eight were former members of the Rajya Sabha.

After asking the members to observe silence for a minute, Naidu adjourned the House for an hour in deference to the memory of the two sitting members.