A run for the country

Slaying all my demons I am blazing through the seasons I am all that I believe in And the road keeps on callingThese lyricsmdashset to a hiphop melody driven by drum loops and guitar tunesmdashinstantly attracted my attention to the 39minute documentary Ladakh 470 which captures Sufiya Sufi Runnerrsquos tribute run from Siachen to Kargil in record timemdashseven days The film directed by Shivam Singh Rajput and produced by Roopa Barua has found its way into the top recommendation lists It will be screened at the 2024 Kala Ghoda Arts Festival in January and Sufiya herself will run as the ambassador of the festrsquos marathonSufiyarsquos spirit her sense of being her determination to cover an uneven mountainous terrain as a tribute to slain Indian soldiers is captured in the track Higher I Am Going Higher composed by acclaimed singermusician Joi Barua and assisted by Pronoy Kumar SaikiaI was touched by Joirsquos deep understanding of Sufiyarsquos psyche as an athlete ldquoSufiya began running later in her life Previously she worked in a different professional set up For me it was like she suddenly found a sense of direction or purpose to her existence When I first heard her story disruptive rap or rebel music played in my mindrdquo he saysThe athlete poses with soldiers during the Kargil Vijay RunSufiyarsquos newfound meaning to life is encapsulated in Joirsquos thoughtthrough composition ldquoirsquove been down irsquove been up irsquove been found and irsquove been stuck i just seek i donrsquot know like the river needs to flowrdquo The composer met the athlete only a couple of times during the postproduction phase of Ladakh 470 While she was based in Delhi the composer operated from a studio in Bandra their connection traversed geographical boundariesGiven that I hadnrsquot followed Sufiyarsquos trajectory as a runner before watching the documentary it was also rewarding to see a musicianrsquos recognition of a sportsperson ldquoI met Sufiya last year on Kargil Vijay Diwas when I had performed on the occasion After that we spoke on the phone once I knew her story I didnrsquot aim to have too many conversations I wanted to retain my perspective on her life by keeping intrusions at bay That was important for me to create the music for the documentary I like to create a myth of what a person can achieve As I put it in my song ldquoNothinrsquos gonna stop me My destinyrsquos my poetryrdquo Joi saysSufiyarsquos achievements have had a personal impact on the composer ldquoShe inspires me Her tryst with pain will forever be the stuff of legendsrdquo he says Sufiya has also left an impression on the filmrsquos director Shivam Singh Rajput who says the film transformed him The 21yearold engineer a debutante documentary filmmaker began going to the gym after being witness to Sufiyarsquos tribute runRajput and the filmrsquos unit which drove the SiachenKargil distance watched the runner succeed in the most trying situationsmdashgasping for oxygen lying on the road to regain momentum crying after achieving a milestone He recalls many occasions when Sufiya carried on despite being breathless There was a time in the army transit camp when Rajput felt he couldnrsquot even come out of his bed But as he woke up he realised that Sufiya had already begun climbing Khardung La pass A wave of raw energy ran through his body and the crew hit the road At another point when she refused to rest the army support team provided her with supplemental oxygen while she continued walking It was when she walked with the suspended oxygen pack that Rajput got his best shot of the filmOn the fourth day of the run Rajput was privy to the boost provided by Sufiyarsquos coach Rajendra Yadav and her partner Vikas Saroha a recordholding cyclist who devised innovative strategies for the road During those moments when Saroha saw Sufiyarsquos spirits dipping he entertained her by singing cheesy Bollywood songs from inside the accompanying car Everyone had a good laugh as Rajput and the others also joined in on the banter ldquoSuch moments were beyond my expectation Prior to the run I had no idea that people like her existed or that I would learn so much at deathdefying junctures and extreme climaterdquo Sufiyarsquos significance in the lives of Ladakh 470rsquos makers is especially evident in her equation with creative producer Roopa Barua Roopa an author and awardwinning filmmaker has contributed to the documentaryrsquos direction too and given it a new dimension by highlighting the meditative quality of the run Sufiya is presented not just as the celebrity championmdash the winner of four Guinness World Records the fastest female runner in the world to cover the 6002 kmlong Indian Golden Quadrilateral roadmdashbut rather as an approachable 38yearold athlete who started running as late as 2017 in a Delhi halfmarathon Ladakh 470 deeply invests in the human rather than the champion not the star performer but the person who believes in testing the limits of human endurance not an elite icon but a middleclass humble Indian who spreads the message of love and peace by runningHer string of expeditions especially the Himalayan Ultra Run form the backdrop of the filmmdashand she has many exciting ones lined up for the next three years In December 2023 she will participate in a 24hour stadium run to qualify for the Indian Ultra Running Team In February next year she will run in Qatar to reclaim Indiarsquos world record title In July 2024 she will run from the Karakoram Pass to the Kargil War Memorial via Daulat Beg Oldi and the Galwan Valley to celebrate 25 years of Kargil Vijay DiwasHer most ambitious challenge is set for 2025 when she will undertake The Run Around the Worldmdashan incredible endeavour covering 30000 km in 680 days She aims to be the first female runner in the world to achieve this remarkable featSufiya calls herself lsquoSufi Runnerrsquo ldquoWhile running I enter a zone where I feel a divine power that pushes me to continue despite the pain This power makes me realise that physical aches and pains are temporary I consider my tribute run as a oneoff the soldiers guarding our country negotiate the altitudes and fluctuating temperatures on a daily basisrdquo says SufiyaAs per Roopa Barua the film underlines Sufiyarsquos zen energy as the runnerrsquos respect for the bravehearts shows not in her words but her attitude ldquoSufiya ran an average of eight to 15 hours daily she had to opt for offroading too so as to lower the distance But that meant she had to walk which took away her natural ability to run sprint and cover distances This aspect made me think of her processrdquo Roopa explains The producer admires Sufiyarsquos ability to be like a blank canvas while she is in motion ldquoThe runner identifies herself with the singleminded motion of running like a focused soldier taking on a military operationrdquo Sufiya didnrsquot listen to music while she ran as any distraction would have prevented her from being in the momentSufiya sees running as a way to reach out to people Raised by her mother Shahnaz Khan after the untimely loss of her father Rafique Ahmed a teacher at a government school Sufiya grew up in and remained bound to Ajmer up to her graduation along with her three siblings She left the city for Delhi in 2008 to pursue a course in ground handling in the aviation sector She worked with a range of airline companies for ten years It was a three km run in her housing society park in the summer of 2017 that changed her life forever She ran her first half marathon in November 2017 and her first 52 km ultramarathon in 2018 Only a week later she ran her first 67 km ultramarathonAt this point Sufiya and the makers of the documentary are content with the acclaim won by Ladakh 470 Sufiya has another mission in mind She wishes to visit the homes of the Kargil war heroes with Roopa Barua Her run was to honour the slain soldiers the tribute is made complete by meeting their loved onesSumedha RaikarMhatre is a culture columnist in search of the subtext You can reach her at sumedharaikarmiddaycom