MUMBAI MIRROR (August 4, 2016)

Budhia Singh's story almost sounds like a roller coaster potboiler, the difference being that it's not a work of fiction but of hard core facts. An overnight celebrity at 5, he was known as the wonder kid who ran 48 Marathons and was projected as India's big Olympic hope. Today, he is a 14 year old at odds with his life who has been banned from doing the one thing he loves - Running.

His achievements as well as his ban were widely discussed both in India and Internationally. But then the nation forgot about him and his fate was just a piece of paper. But will his talent be wasted? His dreams crushed forever? Or will the boy make India's marathon medal hopes come true?

Talking about the plight of many such natural athletes, the legendary former sprinter Milkha Singh said, "India has a lot of talent and what is missing is determined effort from the athletes, coaches and administrators. When we spot any talent that shows determination, we should do our best to nurture it and motivate it to reach the highest possible standards. Budhia Singh is a fine example of a boy who was born with a talent, a talent that should now be allowed to bloom under expert supervision and the right training. I would love to see him run in the Olympics and put India on the global map in the field of marathon running.'

The film on his life called Budhia Singh Born To Run releases this week, a unique biopic that is not just a story of something in the past but one with a hope for the future. Will the nation sit up and take notice or whether Budhia will run again yet remains to be seen.