Noida Teen Who Runs 10 km Every Night So He Can Join Army Has a Message for India

The Noida teen who runs 10 km every night after his shift at McDonald’s, Sector 16, gets over, has now learnt of his virality on the Internet with wide-eyed incredulity. Filmmaker and author Vinod Kapri, who first shared the boy’s story of grit and optimism, found him once more after his shift at the food outlet got over at around 11 pm. Pradeep Mehra, 19, told Kapri that he has now come to know of his stature as an award-winning filmmaker. When Kapri tells him about his current internet sensation status, Pradeep repeats his conviction from the first time around when Kapri had suggested that he might go viral. He reiterates that he doesn’t mind it because he is not doing anything wrong; “daud hi toh laga raha hun! (I’m only running)” However, the boy’s happiness isn’t completely unmarred. When Kapri tells him people all over the country are in awe of his passion, Pradeep says some people have thought contrarily.

When the filmmaker tries to assure him, Pradeep recounts comments from some people who allegedly wrote that he should be “made to run in Kashmir” and that he would “forget to run” in that case. Kapri then reiterates that lakhs of people consider him an inspiration. Pradeep also told Kapri that he has been getting a lot of congratulatory phone calls from his village. Kapri and Pradeep both got calls from people in the Indian Army who wanted to speak to the boy. Pradeep answers in the affirmative when Kapri offers to give them his contact number.

In another clip, Pradeep can be seen making a 20-second sprint.

His video has been appreciated by many big names, including political leaders Digvijaya Singh, Dharmendra Pradhan and Harish Rawat, cricketer Harbhajan. Minerva Punjab owner offered to provide training to Pradeep at their academy.

What does Pradeep have to say to people all over the country watching him? “Mehnat ke aage toh duniya jhukti hain (The world bows before hard work),” he says smilingly. This time around, when Kapri offers him a ride, Pradeep agrees. When asked why he hadn’t accepted the offer previously, the boy says it’s not right to stop midway, which could cause discomfort. He adds that he gets such offers almost every other night from people passing by in their cars or on bikes, but he never accepts their kind offers to drop him home.

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