A national volleyball captain
Nirmal Saini, also known as Nirmal Milkha Singh, was an Indian volleyball player and former captain of the national women’s team. A tribute published by Kanya Maha Vidyalaya in Jalandhar identifies her as an alumna and remembers her international sporting career. Her association with an educational institution in Punjab provides one way to trace the opportunities and communities that supported women’s sport. Sporting biographies often identify her through her marriage to the runner Milkha Singh, but her own work as a player and administrator deserves attention in its own right.[1]
Work in sports administration
After playing, Nirmal worked in sports administration. The Indian Express reported that she served as director of sports for women in Punjab’s sports department and later held sports administration posts in Chandigarh. Its account distinguishes her work from her husband’s separate career in athletics and the Punjab sports department. Administrative roles shape facilities and opportunities for other players, although a job title alone does not establish the details of every programme. Records of departments, teams and former colleagues can help build a fuller picture of her contribution to women’s sport in the region. The report says she held joint director and director roles in Chandigarh after leaving Punjab’s department.[2]
A career remembered
Nirmal died in 2021. The Tribune’s account described her as a former national volleyball captain and Punjab sports administrator, and reported tributes from people who knew her in sport. A March 2022 report announced that the Chandigarh Volleyball Association would organise junior and senior championships for a trophy named in her memory. The announcement does not establish the event’s outcome. These commemorations show how institutions have chosen to remember her, while also reflecting the perspective and date of each report. A fuller history of Indian women’s volleyball would place her experience alongside the careers of teammates, coaches and administrators whose stories are less often recorded.[3][4]
Sources & notes
Source records include access dates and, where known, limits on what was examined. Checks used AI assistance; independent human or specialist review has not been completed.
- Rajat Kumar, City Air News; Kanya Maha Vidyalaya tribute. KMV Family pays tribute to its alumna Nirmal Milkha Singh ↗Written source · Source date: 2021-06-14 · Locator: Institutional tribute: alumnus status and volleyball captaincy. Accessed 2026-11-04.The published report of the college tribute was inspected. It presents the institution’s recollections of its alumna.Return to A national volleyball captain, paragraph 1 ↑
- Nitin Sharma, The Indian Express. Nirmal Milkha Singh dies of Covid ↗Written source · Source date: 2021-06-13 · Locator: “Support pillar for family and society”: Punjab and Chandigarh sports administration. Accessed 2026-11-04.The 2021 report was checked for its account of the administration roles; original personnel records were not independently inspected.Return to Work in sports administration, paragraph 1 ↑
- Deepankar Sharda, The Tribune. Adieu Nirmal Milkha Singh — a friend, guide & philanthropist ↗Written source · Source date: 2021-06-14 · Locator: Opening obituary and paragraphs on Chandigarh sports administration. Accessed 2026-11-04.The obituary and its reporting attribution were rechecked. It gives a 14 June update and a 13 June dateline; it is not an official personnel record.Return to A career remembered, paragraph 1 ↑
- Tribune News Service. Volleyball meet from March 18 ↗Written source · Source date: 2022-03-15 · Locator: 14 March dateline and announcement of 18–21 March championships. Accessed 2026-11-04.The indexed report was checked. It announces a future event and postponement; it does not confirm that the championships were held.Return to A career remembered, paragraph 1 ↑
Record PH-PEO-0272 · English edition · human review not performed