Indian boxing icon, 69-year-old Kaur Singh, is struggling to repay Rs 2 lakh he had borrowed from a private financier to fund his treatment for cardiac problems.
Kaur was the only boxer in India to have entered the ring against boxing legend Muhammad Ali and gave him a tough fight during an exhibition match in New Delhi in 1980.
He won gold in Asian Games in 1982, got the Arjuna Award in 1982 and the Padmashri in 1983. He hung up his gloves after representing India in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics where he won two consecutive bouts.
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He returned to his village ¡ª Khanal Khurd in Sangrur district of Punjab ¡ª after retiring from the Army which he had joined in 1971as a havildar at the age of 23. He was honoured by the Army with the Vishisht Sewa Medal in 1988 and was bestowed the Sena Medal for his bravery during the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
Much to Kaur's disappointment and bitterness, the four-time national boxing champion and winner of six gold medals in international competitions, was sidelined by the government when he needed its support the most.
He developed a heart ailment two years ago and required stenting of blocked arteries. The Army paid Rs 3 lakh for his treatment then. He also took a private loan of Rs 2 lakh from a private financier to fund additional treatment costs and managed to repay that loan.
However, he is again going through a financial crisis as he borrowed Rs 2 lakh this year from a private financier to fund his cardiac treatment. "I had borrowed Rs 2 lakh two years ago from a private lender and had managed to pay that back after harvest. This year, I had to borrow Rs 2 lakh again for hospital expenses in Mohali. The amount escalates to an additional Rs 50,000 within a span of 6 months as interest and my income is not enough to repay the debt. I don't know how I will return this money," he told TOI.
Though he gets some money as pension from the Punjab government, where he served as a coach, and his pension from the Army, it is not enough to take care of his needs.
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In 1982, the then Punjab government had announced a cash award of Rs1lakhfor him for the gold medal he won at the Asiad.
However, he did not get the promised money. Governments changed and Singh's voice slowly got lost in the bureaucratic corridors. "I was promised Rs 1 lakh which might be equal to Rs 20 lakh in contemporary times," he said.
Kaur is suffering from a serious cardiac problem and spends Rs 8,000 per month on medicines. "This is just the expense of my monthly medicines. The fees of doctor and other expenditure at the hospital accounts for much more."
Kaur was discharged on Tuesday morning from a private hospital in Mohali where he was being treated. "My body does not function properly. Doctors say that this is due to the injuries that I had suffered during my fighting days. This is the reason I told my children not to take up sports as a career," a bitter Kaur said, adding he did not allow his son to make a career in the sports after he was subjected to shabby treatment by the government. "I went to the Badal government a couple of times, but they too did not pay heed to my request. I feel they do not intend to give the prize money," he said.
His wife Baljeet Kaur is also bedridden. "My wife is also helpless. She does not say much. I do not know what to do," he said.