One-year-old Nirvi Harigeeth from Thiruvananthapuram always runs around, not surprising for a toddler. Something struck her parents, though, the pace at which she moves. They were right. At an age when most toddlers are still wobbling through their first steps, she has already run her way into record books.

The little girl from Pappanamcode is now the youngest to achieve the 'fastest 50-metre barefoot run by a toddler' in the International Book of Records. She completed the run in 46 seconds, breaking the previous record of 54 seconds.

Like all parents, Harisankar and Geethu were overjoyed when Nirvi took her first steps.

"She started walking about a month after her birthday. She initially seemed hesitant, as though she might fall. But once she found her balance, she barely slowed down, she just ran barefoot all the time," Geethu said.

"We began considering a record attempt after noticing that our daughter seemed to run faster than other children her age. As a trial, my husband and I took her to the Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium. We preferred the venue because it has a synthetic turf," she added.

As per the rules, Nirvi had to run in a straight line. Since toddlers rarely do so, the parents said they were astonished when she set the record on her very first try.

"We couldn't believe she broke the existing record on the first attempt. We caught the video on camera, but did not bring tapes to measure and show the Book of Records panel. That we had to do later, " Geethu said. "She completed the run on November 16, 2025, and we received confirmation from the International Book of Records in December," Geethu added.

Baby Nirvi has also secured a title in the India Book of Records as the 'youngest to run a distance of 100 metres'. She has additionally been recognised by the Kerala Book of Records for 'running a distance of 50 metres in 46 seconds'.

But long before the record attempt, even before Nirvi was born, Geethu had dreamed of raising her in a home filled with colour, where she would learn about animals, birds, flowers and fruits through pictures and words.

"A friend of mine gifted me black-and-white contrast cards suitable for infants. Nirvi paid close attention whenever we showed them to her. As she grew older, we introduced flash cards and picture books," Geethu said.

So when Geethu and Harisankar realised that Nirvi could easily recognise and name objects, they began browsing websites to explore world record categories for toddlers. It was also during this search that they discovered the 'youngest 50-metre barefoot run by a toddler' category.

"While her initial interest was flash cards, it was her running that earned her the record," the parents said.

The duo had also earlier submitted an entry in which Nirvi recited the names of 50 objects in 2 minutes and 28 seconds. But they were informed that another child had completed the task in 1 minute and 28 seconds.

"Nirvi can also now identify around 300 objects using flash cards across several categories. At one point she lost interest, so we dropped it. We make sure never to pressure her. Whatever she prefers is what we go with. Later, one day, she brought her book again and asked me to read to her," Geethu said. Now, the trio is preparing for another attempt.

"Her entries fall in the one to three year age category. There are always toddlers closer to three who can memorise more and respond faster. We know Nirvi hasn't reached that stage yet, but as long as she shows interest in something, we will support her," Geethu said.