Child prodigy runner Budhia Singh, who shot into limelight in 2006 when he entered the Limca Book of Records, is struggling to keep pace with life; hopes his biopic will bring about a change
Budhia Singh shot into limelight in 2006 when he entered the Limca Book of Records after running the 65km stretch from Puri to Bhubaneswar in seven hours and two minutes at the tender age of four.
Long distance runner Budhia Singh at a hotel in Juhu yesterday. Pic/Datta Kumbhar
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Now a teenager, the 15-year-old, is languishing even across much shorter distances. He however, hopes the upcoming biopic, Budhia Singh – Born to Run, based on his life and set to release in the first week of August, will change his current situation.
Also Read: Budhia Singh - The boy who was 'born to run'
"I hope people watch the film and help me get back to distance-running. Right now, I finish last even in the 400m event as there is nobody to train me at the Kalinga Stadium hostel in Bhubaneswar.
'No focus on distance-runners'
"The focus at the hostel is only on sprinters, not on distance-runners like me. I was a kid when I moved here and was assured I could visit my family over weekends, but was later barred from doing so. My mother (Sukanti) and sisters (Rashmita, Nivedita and Sasmita) come to visit me sometimes.
But now, I don't want to live in the hostel anymore. I want to get out of Odisha and don't mind shifting to Delhi or Mumbai, where I can get a personal coach, who can keep me with him and take care of my training," the Class IX student of Bhubaneswar's DAV English Medium School, told mid-day yesterday on the sidelines of a promotional event for the film. Budhia's coach Biranchi Das, was shot dead on April 13, 2008, and the teenager regrets not being able to pay homage to his mentor at the time.
Budhia's biggest regret
"I was too young. Nobody informed me about Biranchi sir's death. It was only after two days, when mediapersons came to my hostel, that I learnt about it. I remember asking the hostel in-charge if I could go and visit sir's wife (Gitanjali Panda), but I wasn't allowed to do so. That's the biggest regret I have till date," said Budhia, whose family lives in Salia Sahi, a slum colony in Bhubhaneshwar.
Not financially well off, Budhia's mother says the Rs 2.7 lakh they have received from the film's producers, will help finance her son's sporting career. "My elder daughter Rashmita (21) is getting married this year. I plan to use some of the money for that and the rest I will keep for Budhia. I don't want him to return to the slums," Sukanti said yesterday.
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