The mother who went viral for running barefoot (and winning) a race to be able to buy her daughter's school supplies

Despite her lack of experience, and even running shoes, Ramabai Ranveer won her first race in August, crossing the finish line barefoot.

The participation of this 47-year-old widowed mother in a 3-kilometre race in India was motivated by the cost of her daughter's higher education.

She said she was "very happy" to be able to put her prize of around $30 towards buying books and school supplies.

In India, Ramabai's extraordinary efforts to secure such a small amount — compared to the cost of a university degree — have caused a great stir.

Education-related protests have shaken the country for much of the year, while a satirical youth movement gives voice to the frustrations of a disillusioned generation.

According to a government report from last month, only 8% of university graduates find jobs in which they can apply the knowledge gained from their courses.

And, at 29.1%, the unemployment rate among graduates is nine times higher than that of those who never attended university.

While student outrage is part of a broader wave of economic grievances, news of Ramabai's feat has captivated social media and the country's major newspapers.

For some, her achievement embodies a mother's sacrifice and how far parents are willing to go to lift their children out of poverty.

For others, it encapsulates the deterioration that pervades India's education system and the futility of believing it can serve as a means of social mobility.

"Is this a moment of glory or of shame for us as a society?" social media user Shoma Sarkar posted beneath a video of the race.

Cash prize

Ramabai learned of the competition through her eldest daughter, Pooja, 22.

"My daughter came to see me early in the morning and said: 'Mum, I want to take part in a race'," she told the BBC from her home in Maharashtra.

"I asked where it would be, and she said it was nearby. She told me that if she won the prize, it would help with her studies."

"My youngest daughter lives in another city. I couldn't give her money to buy books, and because of that she didn't call me for eight days. So I decided I had to run and win the race."

"My only wish was to win that prize."

Ramabai was so determined that even when her trainers began to slip during the race, she simply took them off, adjusted her sari and kept running.

Unencumbered, she managed to overtake the other competitors in her age group, from 30 to 60 years old, and claim victory.

Her daughter Pooja also took home a prize of around $19 after finishing second in her age category, and described her mother as "courageous."

Ramabai took on responsibility for the household in 2012, following the death of her husband.

"I did whatever work I could find," she told the BBC.

"I harvested soybeans and chickpeas in other people's fields. I also harvested turmeric, cooked and sold food."

And, having dropped out of school at 13, Ramabai was determined that her daughters would go further.

"I think that, as long as I am alive, I must do everything I can to give my daughters a good education."

Both Pooja and her sister, Arati, are trying to pass entrance exams for state government jobs.

Pooja is preparing for police recruitment at the academy where her mother works as a cook. Arati, a Computer Science student at university, is preparing for the prestigious public service exams.

In the world's most populous country, government jobs offer one of the few pathways to the middle class, along with lifelong security, including a pension and housing subsidies.

Millions of students invest years and significant amounts of money preparing for these high-stakes exams.

But irregularities have cast doubt on the integrity of these tests, which determine the futures of candidates.

In May, India's main medical school entrance exam, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (for undergraduate studies), was cancelled following a leak, forcing nearly 2 million students to retake the gruelling exam.

Political demand

An unprecedented explosion of outrage transformed the satirical Cockroach People's Party (CJP) into a youth movement, and mass protests led by Generation Z culminated in the resignation of the Education Minister last July.

The campaign has since broadened to demand the modernisation of public schools, starting with tackling crumbling infrastructure and persistent inequalities in rural areas.

"Children in rural India should receive at least a decent education," Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the CJP, told the BBC during a recent visit to a school near the Ramabai district.

The school had no toilets for female students, and expired food packages were being used to prepare lunch.

Ramabai's story caught the attention of authorities.

Earlier this month, India's Chief Justice Surya Kant ordered the district to grant her financial assistance of 2,500 rupees.

But Sukhadeo Thorat, who chaired the University Grants Commission, says that Ramabai and her daughters highlight deeper systemic problems:

"If a woman is forced to do everything possible for her daughters' education, it shows that the government's educational programmes are not being properly implemented."

"Both the central government and state governments run various educational programmes, but their implementation is not adequate," he added.

Meanwhile, Ramabai simply wants her daughters to "live a happy life."

"I don't want them to go through the hardships I faced," she told the BBC.

"I don't want them to have to struggle through the mud or travel under the scorching sun and rain."

"Whatever I have suffered, I don't want my daughters to suffer the same."