Khanchand Singh has passed away this morning. He was no celebrity, so you are unlikely to know who he was. He was a hero, not for you and me, but for India cricketer Rinku Singh for sure. Khanchand was Rinku’s father and played a huge role in the making of the left-handed batsman.
Most of India’s sportspersons come from struggling backgrounds and Rinku is no different. That’s why it’s all the more important for an Indian sportsperson to have support from their family members. Due to a lack of financial means, often many give up their dreams so that they can support their struggling families with whatever little jobs they can get and whatever little money they can earn.
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Rinku was lucky that he had the support of his father. Khanchand’s work involved a lot of labour. He worked for the Indian Oil-owned cooking gas company Indane. He delivered LPG cylinders day in, day out. Even after Rinku made his name as an India cricketer, Khanchand continued working. Which is understandable!
When you work for others, you often keep working. In fact, Rinku urged him many times to stop working but Khanchand never paid heed to his son’s wishes. He eventually stopped working when he was diagnosed with liver cancer a while back. He breathed his last on Friday morning at the Yatharth Hospital in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
The smile of a proud father!
Last year a video went viral in which Khanchand was seen riding an expensive bike, Rinku’s gift for him. All through the video, his smile was noticeable. It was the smile of a man who was extremely proud of his son. On a Kawasaki Ninja, worth ₹5 lakh then, Khanchand rode to work in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. It was an emotional video to be sure and attracted a lot of attention on social media.
Rinku, part of the Indian squad in the ongoing T20 World Cup, has struggled of late with the bat, and one can see now what may have affected his batting. If your hero is fighting for life, it’s going to affect you for sure.
Khanchand passed away, but not without making a difference to the lives of people around him, especially Rinku. May he rest in peace.
In this hour of grief, the cricketing fraternity stands united. Indian legend Harbhajan Singh was one of the first ones to pay homage. “Pained to learn about the demise of Shri Khanchand Singh Ji, father of Rinku Singh. This must be an especially difficult time for Rinku and his family, even as he remains committed to his responsibilities during the T20 World Cup. My heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with him and his loved ones. May Waheguru grant eternal peace to the departed soul and give strength and courage to the bereaved family,” he wrote on X.
