At 85, when most people his age would rather slow down, Andhuram Das still begins many mornings with a run.
The retired teacher and veteran sportsperson from Natun Gaon in Jagiroad, Morigaon district, recently added another achievement to his long sporting journey. At the 31st Assam Inter District Masters Athlete Championship, held at Khirod Baruah Stadium in Morigaon between 18 and 21 December 2025, he won bronze medals in both the 5,000 m and 10,000 m races in the men’s 85+ category.
But Andhuram’s story goes far beyond medals.
In January 2026, Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya visited his residence to acknowledge his contribution to sports under the Amar Mati Amar Nayak initiative, also known as the Our Land, Our Heroes Award.
The award is presented each year to people who have contributed to their land, culture, heritage and society, and who have set a positive example within their communities.
“I was so happy and grateful to have received the citation from the hands of the Governor of Assam. I never thought anything like that would happen, but it was just so satisfying,” says the senior track and field athlete.
Andhuram Das was recognised under Assam’s Amar Mati Amar Nayak initiative in 2026.
When kho kho was new to Assam
More than five decades ago, Kho Kho was barely known in many parts of Assam and the wider Northeast. School sports training largely centred around track and field events and Kabaddi.
Andhuram, who taught history and geography at Jagiroad Higher Secondary School in Morigaon district, had always been drawn to sports. In 1965, he attended a physical fitness course at Mirza in Assam.
The programme, part of a central government initiative to promote games and sports in schools across states, brought trainers from different parts of the country. Football trainers came from Kolkata, athletics trainers from Kerala, physical exercise trainers from Delhi, and trainers for Kho Kho, Kabaddi and hockey from Punjab and Haryana.
It was during this training that Andhuram first encountered Kho Kho.
The sport fascinated him. He was drawn to its pace, strategy, rules, movement restrictions and scoring system. After practising with trainers and understanding the game closely, he began introducing it to students at his school.
At first, the response was lukewarm. Many children were familiar with football and other games, but Kho Kho was still new to the region. A few decades later, towards the fag end of his teaching career in 1995, Andhuram noticed that a new generation of students was beginning to show interest in the sport.
He started coaching them during PT classes. He received no special pay for this because he was not a sports teacher.
Training students beyond the classroom
Andhuram retired in 1999, but his work in sports continued. He had started training students in 1967 and continued doing so through his teaching career. After retirement, he kept coaching children privately at the local playground.
Across nearly six decades, he has trained more than 1,000 students in Kho Kho and Kabaddi. Several of them went on to compete at district, state and national levels.
“I don’t remember the exact numbers due to my age, but there are many students who have competed at state and national levels. One student I particularly remember is Meena Bordoloi, who represented India in athletics in Thailand in 2008. She won a gold medal in the 10,000 m and silver medals in both the 100 m and 1,500 m,” shares Andhuram.
Andhuram Das began training students in sports in 1967 and continues coaching today.
For many of his former students, his influence has carried into the next generation too.
Sulen Bordoloi, one of his ex-students, remembers learning Kho Kho from Andhuram when he was in Class 5.
“I practised under Sir until I completed my matriculation in 1998. We had two-hour practice sessions after school. I was weak in sports, but Sir encouraged me a lot. I represented Kho Kho at the district level,” he says.
Inspired by what he learnt from Andhuram, Sulen later trained his own daughter, Dhritileena Maloi, who is now a national-level Kho Kho player.
“Based on Sir’s coaching, I trained my daughter. She went to Bhopal in November 2022, Ahmedabad in November 2023, and Chandigarh in September 2024 and July 2025 for Kho Kho championships. She is a Class 9 student and participates in the All Assam Inter-District Championship,” says the 44-year-old.
Another student, 41-year-old Manik Teron, who represented Kho Kho at the district level, says Andhuram played an important role in taking the sport to children in Morigaon.
“It was Sir who introduced Kho Kho in Morigaon district. We knew football and other sports, but not Kho Kho. It was new to this region. He spent a lot of time on the playground to promote the sport. I got my Kho Kho training from him between 1997 and 2000. He taught us how to run and how to throw the javelin,” he says.
His training routine includes running and walking, covering about 10 km on practice days.
His life as a masters athlete
While Andhuram trained generations of students, he also continued competing as an athlete himself.
At the age of 70, he raced the 10,000 m and clocked 1 hour, 6 minutes and 22.08 seconds, earning first place in the 70+ age category at the 23rd Assam Masters Athlete Championship, held in Titabar district from 20 to 23 December 2014.
In the 75+ category, he won a silver medal in the 5,000 m race in 28 minutes and 39 seconds at the 36th National Masters Athletics Championship, held at Bambolim Stadium in Panaji, Goa, from 25 to 29 April 2015.
He also competed in the 10,000 m race at the 37th National Masters Athletics Championship, held at Chamundi Vihar Stadium in Mysuru between 2 and 6 March 2016. He finished the race in 1 hour, 1 minute and 32 seconds, securing second place in the 75+ category.
Dr Shankarjyoti Basumatary, Dean of the Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education, North East Regional Centre, says, “He is a seasoned competitor associated with numerous sports organisations. He is a healthy advocate of sport at the grassroots level. He’s done a lot for sports through the decades, and he is still continuing. He gets invited to sporting events as a mark of honour.”
Andhuram Das has competed in state and national masters athletics championships.
A simple routine, followed with discipline
Born on 1 April 1941, Andhuram still follows a steady routine.
He wakes up at 5.30 am, exercises around the house, and then goes out running and walking. He practises for two hours and covers around 10 km a day, four days a week. On other days, he spends time at home and also visits his agricultural field for inspection.
His food habits are simple. He drinks lukewarm water before practice and has a glass of milk with homemade bread afterwards. For lunch, he usually has rice, pulses and fish curry. Dinner is often home-baked bread with vegetable curry.
“I am neither diabetic nor suffering from blood pressure issues. Apart from hearing difficulty, I have no major health issues. My heart, lungs and kidneys are functioning properly, and my digestive system is satisfactory. My eyesight is normal, and I can read vernacular newspapers every morning without spectacles,” says Andhuram.
He follows a regular fitness routine and remains active in competitive sport.
‘I want to achieve that feat even if I turn 105’
Andhuram once had opportunities to compete internationally, but could not take them up due to personal circumstances. He prefers to keep those details private.
Today, the octogenarian has another dream. He wants to emulate Fauja Singh, the Punjabi-origin marathon runner who completed a 10 km race at the age of 101.
“I’m a naturally ambitious person. I want to achieve that feat even if I turn 105 years old,” says the father of two.
There was a moment in 2015 when his journey nearly ended in tragedy. While returning from a sports arena at night in Chennai, a speeding truck almost hit him. He survived by jumping to the side just in time.
Sports organisations in Assam continue to recognise Andhuram Das for his contributions.
Years later, Andhuram continues to run, train and show up for sport with the same purpose that shaped his life as a teacher.
For his students, he remains the man who brought a new sport to their playgrounds. For young athletes in Morigaon, he is proof that discipline can stay alive long after retirement.
