Olympian turns taxi driver to survive

 CHANDIGARH: He should have been training future generation of Indian boxers, instead Lakha Singh, a bronze medallist in 81kg category in the 1994 Hiroshima Asiad, is driving a taxi in Ludhiana for his survival. His income is a pittance — a mere Rs 8,000 per month.
A five-time national champion, Singh also has to his credit a bronze in the 1994 Asian Boxing Championship in Tehran and a silver in the same cham in Tashkent the following year.

On the back of three backto-back medals in the span of two years, Singh was India's biggest hope in boxing in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. His performances at the Asian level, however, couldn't translate into success at the Olympic stage and he finished 17th in 91kg category.

Still, during the mid-1990s, Singh used to be India's best bet for medals in the international boxing arena.

Despite his credentials, Singh has been at the receiving end of the state government as well as the boxing federation.

"I had written several letters to the (now-defunct) Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) as well as the Punjab government apprising them about my condition, but never got a response from their side," Singh told TOI, his voice quivering.

"Even the taxi that I drive is not mine. Koi mere pakh di gal nai sunna chaunda (No one wants to listen to my story)," the 52-year-old added.

Singh had joined the Indian Army as a jawan at the age of 19 in 1984 during the anti-Sikh riots.

Two years after the 1996 Olympics, Singh's life took a turn for the worse.

He and another boxer, Debendra Thapa, were scheduled to take part in the World Military Boxing Championship in 1998, however, the pair slipped out of the Texas airport and vanished.