- Published
Despite having no training, or even a pair of running shoes, Ramabai Ranveer sprinted barefoot to victory in her first-ever race in August.
The 47-year-old widow had entered a 3km (1.86-mile) community run with a single goal: winning the prize money to help pay for her two daughters' education.
When she crossed the finish line first, Ramabai from Maharashtra in western India was delighted.
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Ramabai → publish → India
The 3,000-rupee ($31; £23) prize would help her buy books and study materials for her daughters.
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her → help → daughters
It would not come close to covering the cost of higher education in India, or even a course at the coaching centre where one of her daughters is preparing for a government recruitment examination.
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one → come → examination
But videos of her barefoot run spread rapidly on social media and in newspapers, striking a nerve as India's education system faces unusual scrutiny.
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system → spread → scrutiny
"Is it glory or a source of shame for us as a society?" one social media user remarked.
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user → remark → society
Soon, a woman who had never imagined becoming a runner was being held up as a symbol of something much bigger: the extraordinary lengths some Indian families go to in the hope that education will give their children a better life.
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education → imagine → life
For Ramabai, the decision to run was simple.
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decision → run → Ramabai
"My elder daughter came to me early in the morning and said, 'Mummy, I want to take part in a running race'," she told BBC News Marathi from her home in Beed district.
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she → come → district
"I asked her where it was and she said it was nearby.
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it → ask → her
She told me that if she won the prize money, it would help with her education."
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it → tell → education
Her younger daughter, Arati, lives in Nanded and was struggling to afford books.
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daughter → live → books
"I couldn't send her money to buy books and because of that she didn't speak to me on the phone for eight days," Ramabai said.
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Ramabai → send → days
"So I decided I had to run and win the race."
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I → decide → race
When her slippers kept slipping off, she removed them, gathered her sari and ran barefoot, pulling ahead to win the women's 30-60 category.
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she → keep → category
Her elder daughter, Pooja, also won a prize after finishing second in her age group.
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daughter → win → group
But she reserved her praise for her mother, describing her as courageous.
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she → reserve → her
Ramabai has been the family's sole provider since her husband died in 2012.
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husband → die → 2012
"I did whatever work I could find," she said.
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she → do → work
"I picked soybeans and chickpeas in other people's fields.
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I → pick → fields
I also collected turmeric, processed it and sold it."
She left school when she was 13.
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she → collect → school
Her daughters, she says, should have the opportunities she never had.
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she → say → opportunities
"I believe that as long as I am alive, I should do everything I can to give my daughters a good education."
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I → believe → education
That aspiration is shared by millions of Indian families.
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aspiration → share → families
But getting a child through the education system and into a secure career can involve years of preparation, intense competition and, for many families, considerable expense.
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getting → get → families
One of Ramabai's daughters is preparing for police recruitment and the other for the civil services - two fiercely competitive routes into the security and social status associated with a coveted and secure government job.
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One → prepare → job
Millions of young Indians spend years preparing for such examinations, often paying for coaching and study materials.
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Millions → spend → coaching
But faith in the system has been shaken by repeated allegations of question-paper leaks and other irregularities.
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faith → shake → leaks
The controversies have fed a wider sense of frustration among young Indians over education, jobs and the increasingly uncertain promise of a secure future.
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controversies → feed → future
That frustration has also fuelled student-led protests and youth movements demanding changes to India's education system.
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frustration → fuel → system
For families such as Ramabai's, education is something they make sacrifices for every day.
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they → make → sacrifices
After her husband's death, she took whatever work she could find.
uncertain
she → take → work
She now cooks at the coaching centre where one of her daughters prepares for police recruitment.
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one → cook → recruitment
Ramabai's run also drew the attention of authorities.
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run → draw → authorities
Earlier this month, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant directed local officials to provide her with financial assistance of 50,000 rupees.
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Kant → direct → rupees
But Sukhadeo Thorat, a former chairman of the University Grants Commission, says the family's story points to broader structural challenges.
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story → say → challenges
"If a woman is compelled to struggle so hard for her daughters' education, it shows that government education schemes are not reaching people adequately," he said.
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he → compel → people
"Both the central and state governments run a variety of schemes.
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governments → run → schemes
The problem is that implementation remains weak.
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implementation → remain → ?
What matters most is ensuring her daughters have a better future.
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daughters → matter → future
"I don't want them to go through the hardships I have faced," she said.
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she → want → hardships
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
