Child prodigy Budhia Singh became a marathon runner to escape from poverty but he couldn’t outrun destiny.
Budhia, 5, has returned to the slum where he was born and where his mother sold him to a coach for Rs 800. Budhia made international headlines when two years ago he began running record distances but now once again he is just another kid in the slums.
His mother, Sukanti Singh, washes utensils for a living and can barely feed Budhia and his siblings. “Where will Budhia stay? Where will he study and practise? The government needs to give Budhia a house and coach for him to become a champion. Budhia isn’t just mine, he's everybody’s child,” says Sukanti.
The Orissa State Judo Centre, where Budhia used to practise, has been deserted for the last week and Budhia's coach Biranchi Das is in jail for allegedly torturing him.
Fame had changed Budhia’s life: he got a regular and balanced diet, training and even massages in the morning. All that has changed now: the boy once touted as India’s Olympic hope does now plays with other children in the slum. But for all that, his dreams are still very much alive.
“I can't go to school because it's too far. If I get a new coach I will start running again,” he says. The Orissa government has promised to take over Budhia's education and training.
“The government is ready to take full responsibility for Budhia's studies and sports. We want to see him become a champion," says Pramilla Mallick, Minister for Women and Child Welfare.
Budhia has yet to see those promises fulfilled though and all he can hope for is that once again he will run
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