Daily wage of Rs 300 to Asian Games medal: The incredible journey of UP boy Ram Baboo

India's Day 11 at the Asian Games saw the country bag many medals, and one of them was from 24-year-old Ram Baboo, who bagged a bronze in 35 km race walk mixed doubles.

The journey of Baboo to the Asian Games medal is 'inspirational' in every sense of the term.

Who is Ram Baboo?

The 24-year-old is being showered with praise by the entire country, including the country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ram, hailing from Bahura village in Uttar Pradesh (UP), pursued his dream in Varanasi.

• He supported his training, lodging, and food by working as a waiter in a nearby eatery and even working as a labourer with his father. 
• As time passed, he transitioned to race walking, relentlessly pursuing his ambitions.
• To support his dreams, Baboo juggled jobs as a waiter in a Varanasi hotel and crafted jute bags in a courier packaging role.
• Baboo found his passion for sports after witnessing India's success at the 2012 London Olympics, where the country clinched two silver and four bronze medals.
• He began his athletics journey on a nearby 200m track, fuelled by aspirations of becoming a marathon runner.
• His daily routine involved training from 4 am to 8 am, followed by his job of waiting tables. 

The Covid chapter

The life of Baboo changed entirely, like everyone else's, during the pandemic.

• The pandemic disrupting his original plans, Baboo was left with no other option than assist his father in manual labour through the government's MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005) scheme.
• IFS officer Parveen Kaswan praised the incredible journey of Ram Baboo from struggle to triumph on social media, highlighting his journey from nothing to an Asian Games medal. 

• Baboo and his father together managed to earn daily wages of Rs 300, which was barely enough to help their family go through a day. 
• However, Baboo did not let his passion falter against the obstacles that came in between him and his ambitions. 
• He took his first step towards realising his dream in 2022 when he achieved a remarkable new national record of 2:36:34 seconds at the IIT Gandhinagar athletic track in Gujarat. 
• Only a year later, Baboo has made his story of struggle even more inspiring after winning the bronze medal along with Manju Rani in the 35 km race walk mixed doubles event at the Asian Games, 2023, at Hangzhou.