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Nurturing a child prodigy

The saga of the wonder boy Budhia Singh — symbolised by visuals of prodigious talent as well as end-game exhaustion — is at once moving and worrisome. The boy from Orissa, all of four years old, ran for 7:02 hours to cover a distance of 65 km and enter the record books. Overcoming the handicap of crushing poverty, he has had a phenomenal run thus far. When his widowed mother was reportedly on the verge of giving up on it all, a martial arts coach descended on stage like a deus ex machina. Soon enough, the mentor faced exploitation charges, with a government agency taking objection to the manner in which the boy's grooming was being handled. The controversy even found its way to the courts. Budhia evidently has exceptional stamina that seems innate. And he has touched a sympathetic chord among the people of Orissa, going by the reception he got on his way from Puri to Bhubaneswar. Is the wonder boy on too steep a track, pushed beyond the limits of endurance — however much he says he enjoys it? Worries about a burnout are not misplaced. In sport, there are physiological issues: what effect long-distance running may have on tender limbs, for instance. And how does a little boy handle the attention?

Hardly any organised sport has a slot for the under-10 age group: a notable exception may be table tennis. Budhia tried to participate in the Delhi Half Marathon in October 2005 but was not allowed to because the rules did not permit an under-13 runner to compete. Children forced to run long distances at a very young age face the danger of fading out as quickly as they emerge on the scene. Concerns over the long term impact of such activity on the health of the prodigy must be addressed here and now. Budhia's innate abilities need to be nurtured and developed in a humane way on a sustainable track under scientific watch. The hazards must be weighed when planning his sporting activity. The Puri-Bhubaneswar spectacle helped focus national attention on his prodigious gifts — but to stretch his little limbs beyond what adults cannot endure is neither sporting nor socially and morally acceptable. The Central and State governments must facilitate his growth path. There is a case to form a small team of experts, including those from sports medicine, to consider the training, medical, psychological and educational aspects involved in his nurturing. The Sports Authority of India is well placed to handle this task. Meanwhile, as normal a childhood as possible should be ensured for him. It will be sad if the loneliness of the long-distance runner cancels the inspiration Budhia Singh provides to hundreds of thousands of young people. Governments must also devise a detailed plan to identify sporting talent early on and nurture it at every stage.

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