In 1947, athlete Milkha Singh saw his parents die in front of him during the violence that followed the partition of India.

His father's last words to him were "Run Milkha run!"

The Indian teenager escaped by train to Delhi after persuading a group of women to hide him from a mob.

But, as an orphan, he struggled to find a direction in life until he joined the Indian army and discovered athletics.

At the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Singh became a national hero winning his country's first ever major gold medal in athletics.

In 2013, his story was turned into the Bollywood film, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag - Run Milkha Run.

Witness: The stories of our times told by the people who were there.