A 47-year-old widow from Maharashtra, Ramabai Ranveer, has become an unlikely national figure after winning a 3km fun run barefoot. Ranveer, who had never trained for the event, participated solely to secure the 3,000-rupee prize money to help pay for her daughters’ schooling. Her story has ignited a broader conversation about the escalating costs of education and the intense pressure on Indian families to fund their children’s futures.
Ranveer competed in the Amrit Daud event wearing a traditional sari and carrying her slippers, eventually removing them when they kept falling off during the sprint. She triumphed in the women’s age group of 30 to 60 years. Her eldest daughter, Pooja, also competed, finishing second in her category, but Ranveer stated she reserved her highest praise for her mother’s bravery.
Since her husband passed away in 2012, Ranveer has been the sole provider for her two daughters. She has worked various manual labor jobs, including harvesting soybeans and chickpeas and processing turmeric. Currently, she works as a cook at a coaching center where one of her daughters prepares for police recruitment exams. The financial strain became acute when her younger daughter, Arati, refused to speak to her for eight days because Ranveer could not send money for books.
The viral nature of Ranveer’s run has drawn attention to systemic issues within India’s education and employment landscape. Both of Ranveer’s daughters are preparing for highly competitive government recruitment examinations, such as the civil services and police forces, which are viewed as pathways to social security. However, the path is fraught with expense and recent controversies surrounding leaked exam papers have eroded public trust in the fairness of the system.
Experts argue that Ranveer’s plight highlights the failure of existing support structures. Sukhadeo Thorat, a former chairman of the University Grants Commission, noted that the need for a mother to run a race for school funds indicates that government education schemes are not adequately reaching those in need. He attributed this to weak implementation of central and state programs.
In response to the widespread coverage, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant ordered local authorities to provide Ranveer with financial assistance totaling 50,000 rupees. Despite the attention and support, Ranveer maintains that her focus remains on preventing her children from experiencing the hardships she has faced. “I don’t want them to go through the struggles I have,” she said. “Whatever I have suffered, I do not want my daughters to suffer the same.”
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