Help Pours In for Woman Who Ran Barefoot to Win ₹3,000 for Her Daughters’ Education

Ramabai Ranveer ran barefoot through the rain because she needed ₹3,000 for her daughters’ education. A week later, the 47-year-old widow had a bank account in her own name, a ₹50,000 cheque from the Beed district collector and more than ₹1.5 lakh in donations from people across India.

Ranveer took part in the Aug. 29 race at the Kholeshwar Educational Complex in Ambejogai, Beed. The event, organized by the Bharatiya Shikshan Prasarak Sanstha, was open to men and women over 30. It covered two kilometres and drew 102 participants.

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I did not run because I wanted to prove that I could win a race. I ran because I needed the money for my daughter’s education.

She had never run a long-distance race before. When the head of the institution where she works as a cleaner told her about the event and its prize money, she decided to enter. Younger runners moved ahead at the start, but rain loosened her slippers. She took them off, carried them in one hand and continued running barefoot until she won.

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I am worried about my daughters and I want to educate them well. After losing my husband in Mumbai in 2012, I am the only one taking care of both of them.

“I did not run because I wanted to prove that I could win a race. I ran because I needed the money for my daughter’s education,” she told Hindustan Times. She earns ₹9,000 a month as a cook and helper in several homes in Ambejogai. She said she will use the new funds to pay for better coaching classes for her daughters outside Beed.

Her daughter Pooja is preparing for police recruitment. Aarti is studying for a BSc in Information Technology and preparing for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission examination. Aarti said she needs books and other study materials, and plans to work in banking or information technology if she does not pass the commission exam. A video of the race, shared by figures including Rahul Dravid, went viral. Ranveer said a company linked to Sachin Tendulkar called to ask for her shoe size because he wanted to give her running shoes.

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I am currently in the second year of BSc IT and preparing for MPSC. If I am not able to clear MPSC, I plan to work in the banking or information technology sector. I need books and other study material for my preparation.