Barefoot mum wins race for daughters' books
Mum's viral barefoot race sparks debate over India's education crisis
Monday, 21 September 2026
Warm-up
- Have you ever run in a race? Why or why not?
- What school costs are hard for many families?
- Who inspires you to work hard in your life?
Vocabulary
- widow
- A woman whose husband has died.
- barefoot
- With no shoes on your feet.
- prize
- Money or a thing you get for winning a competition.
- materials
- Things needed for study or work, like books and papers.
- coaching
- Training or teaching to help someone improve a skill.
- recruitment
- The process of finding and choosing people for jobs.
- authorities
- People in power, like government or officials, who make decisions.
- assistance
- Help or support given to someone.
Reading
Ramabai Ranveer, a 47-year-old widow from Beed in Maharashtra, won her first 3km community run in August. She had no training and no running shoes, and she ran barefoot after her slippers slipped off on the track. Her goal was simple: win the prize to buy books and study materials for her two daughters.
The prize was 3,000 rupees. It was not much money, but videos of her run went viral and many people talked about how hard education can be for many families in India. One daughter, Pooja, trains for police recruitment at a coaching centre where Ramabai cooks. The other, Arati, studies in Nanded.
After the race, authorities noticed her story. Earlier this month, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant told local officials to give financial assistance of 50,000 rupees. Ramabai left school at 13 and wants her daughters to have more chances than she had.
Comprehension
- How long was the race that Ramabai won?
- Why did Ramabai enter the race?
- How much was the prize money from the race?
- What extra help did authorities order for her?
- What are Ramabai’s daughters preparing or studying for?
Grammar focus
Some/any/much/many
Use some/any for amounts and many/much for countable/uncountable nouns. Use some in positive sentences, any in questions or negatives; many = countable, much = uncountable. (Examples constructed.)
- Ramabai bought some books with the prize.
- Were there any videos of the run online?
Grammar exercise
Circle the correct option in each sentence.
- She won (some / any) rupees to buy books.
- Are there (some / any) videos of the run?
- There is not (much / many) time for recruitment training.
- Authorities gave (some / any) assistance of 50,000 rupees.
- The community run had (many / much) runners in August.
Discussion
- Is 3,000 rupees a big prize for study costs? Why?
- What school costs do many families in your country face?
- Should coaching be cheap or free for poor students? Why?
- How can authorities give better assistance to students?
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