Name: Budhia Singh. Age: 3 years. Achievement: Can run close to 60 km in six-and-a-half hours.

This tot was much in the news in 2005 - on the television, in the newspapers - for his astounding marathon run and his capacity to go on and on. His coach, Biranchi Das, has dreams of getting his protege's name entered into the Guinness Book of World Record and has put little Budhia on a strict diet and a schedule according to which a few kilometres are added to his marathon practice each day.

But fears abound? Can the frail little body withstand the gruelling regimen? Is his mentor being overambitious, and driving the child so hard only to gather name and fame for himself? According to champion athlete PT Usha running around 50 km so frequently could adversely affect Budhia's health, in the long run.

Orissa's sports minister Debashis Nayak has tried to address these concerns. He says the state is keeping a close watch and will not let the child be exploited. Budhia's coach Das has also assured that regular medical check ups are carried out to ascertain that Budhia's health does not suffer.

And who is Budhia? Budhia is from Bhubaneswar. In 2004, he was sold to a man for Rs 800/- because his mother, who washes dishes, was unable to provide for four children, after the death of their father in the same year.

It proved to be a turning point for Budhia. His talent was discovered in the guise of a punishment meted out to him by the president of the residents' association and judo coach, Biranchi Das. Das had ordered the mischievous kid to keep running till he returned. To his astonishment, when he returned after around four hours, Budhia was still running, and showed little signs of exhaustion. Das took him under his tutelage.

Since then little Budhia has not looked back...