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Oh boy!
PHOTOS: MURALI KUMAR K.
TOO MUCH, TOO SOON? Biranchi Das, Budhia Singh's mentor-cum-coach, has been accused of exploiting the boy PHOTO: ASHOKE CHAKRABARTY
Last week, four-and-a-half-year-old Budhia Singh from Orissa created headlines by running the 65 kilometres from Puri to Bhubaneshwar in seven hours and two minutes. But soon after the initial euphoria settled, the feat has been mired in controversy over fears that the little boy was being exploited at a tender age.
But this case is not an isolated one and it has brought the spotlight on how children are being used to gain media headlines. Not a week passes by in newspaper offices without some parent turning up with a kid who they claim can do everything from juggling 10 rubber balls to reciting the encyclopaedia backwards. And it is not just about creating vague records. Children are under pressure today in almost everything they do. It starts with an interview for admission to kindergarten and then parents pushing them to excel in academics, sports and extracurricular activities.
ANAND SANKAR asks if kids today have a childhood at all.
We are under a lot of pressure nowadays. The studies are just too much. The load should be reduced so that we get more time to do other things.
Marzouk
Student
People do force children to do many things and often it is the parents who crave the publicity they get from their children. People should exercise a certain amount of caution.
Manohar
Retired
Brigadier
Yes, children are under pressure nowadays. It is often parental pressure and peer pressure. I think the problem is with the education system, which doesn't nurture children.
Sushruth
Legal adviser
Yes, today every parent wants his or her child to be something or someone. I think kids should be given the licence to do whatever they want. They must be free.
Senold
Law student
I think, yes, parents do force their children a lot. Often it is the comparison with other children that puts pressure on children. I think that factor will always be there.
Pratima
Systems manager
Children are getting more exposure today. Also through the media children are getting a lot more coverage. And parents are eager in giving their children a hand.
Gajendran
Software
Definitely children are under much more pressure today. In our times we had nothing like computers. True there is too much but I guess children today can cope.
Momina
Homemaker
I think sports and other extra-curricular activities must get more emphasis. They are a good diversion for kids. I personally didn't like the way Budhia Singh was made to run.
Abid
Accountant
The real problem is the media. One day they were praising the child and the coach for the feat and the next day the whole thing is a huge controversy.
Durai
Software
engineer
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