Odisha’s marathon boy Budhia Singh, who had run a record-breaking 65 km from Puri to Bhubaneswar at the age of four in 2006 and clinched a place in the Limca Book of Records, now seems to have his counterpart in Malkangiri district who recently grabbed limelight with his agility.
Tagged as Malkangiri’s Budhia Singh, six-year-old Tanush Prasad Sethy, also known as Rudra, caught everyone’s attention as he ran 17 km as part of a marathon organised by the district administration as part of the Malyabanta Mahotsav.
Rudra, who is a Class-I student at the Malkangiri Kendriya Vidyalaya, ran the marathon uninterrupted and surpassed senior participants with no signs of slowing down. He had reportedly been chosen by the district administration to run the marathon as he was known for his long distance running skills in his school.
Rudra ran over 5-6 km daily since he was three years old. He is often seen practising with his maternal grandfather B Rabindra, who was a police constable and also a football player. As Rabindra is a sportsperson, he mentors Rudra at the football field and hopes that Rudra would one day become a national-level runner.
“I ran from Korukonda to Malkangiri and it felt good. I feel like running 100 km,” said Rudra when asked about his experience.
Rabindra said, “I train athletes from our area and it was such a proud moment to see my own grandson to ace the marathon. The way he ran the marathon gives me immense hope for his future. I request the district administration to support him and send him out of the State for better exposure.”
Malkangiri Sub-Collector Akshay Kumar Khemdu said, “There were around 150 participants in the mini marathon organised for the Malyabanta Mahotsav from Korukonda to Butiguda in Malkangiri. The event aimed at sending a message of fraternity and unity transcending social barriers. In Rudra, we may have discovered another Budhia Singh among us here. He could be a next Olympian. He was the main attraction in this marathon.”