Next Sunday, when the city has its annual date with fitness at the Mumbai Marathon, Seema Verma will be back at doing what she does best – run. A win will mean adding another medal to the 21 she already has, but what she is really looking forward to is having her son Sagar, now 14, cheer her on from the sidelines for the first time.
For over five years, Sagar has been staying at a hostel in Bhayander while Verma worked as a domestic help, juggling training with a modestly-paid job. Her tryst with running, however, began only three years ago – years after she married in her late teens and was divorced at 22.
Since then, Verma has participated in over 15 marathons and short runs across four cities, won at least half of them and is all geared up to “beat the Africans” next Sunday.
“After my first race in 2012, running has become my second love after my son. It all began when my employer suggested I participate in the marathon to win big money,” says Verma, 34, a shy and bespectacled woman who could easily pass off for someone much younger.
The suggestion took root in her mind, and soon she began to imagine a new life for Sagar and her, one in which she would be known for her talent, not have to do “dirty work” and be respected.
With assistance from her employer, she participated in the Vasai-Virar Marathon, and won the 10-km race in worn-out shoes and pyjamas. “I was thrilled to have come first in my very first race, despite not having the essentials my co-participants did,” she smiles.
The taste of success
After her first taste of victory, there was no looking back. The Pune Marathon became her next target, where she finished 15th. One after another, she entered marathons across the country, leaving Sagar behind at the Bhayander hostel till she returned.
Though she hadn’t trained to run before 2012, Verma had worked towards a black belt in Karate and is an avid Kabaddi player. After her first win, she fixed a strict diet and training regimen. At 5.30 am every day, Verma leaves her one-room chawl residence in Nalasopara to train at Achole Talao, where she laps the two-km circuit 20 times.
“Each day began with a banana and a mixture of powdered grains including jowar, wheat, bajra, and spices that I make myself, followed by two hours of training. My workday starts after that, visiting several residences where I cook, clean and wash till 6 pm,” she says.
Back home at 6.30 pm, Verma would then leave for Karate classes in Vasai and return at 9 pm to cook herself a simple meal and call it a day. “I was earning around Rs 5,000 a month, of which Rs 2,500 would be kept aside for my son’s hostel fee. For extra money, I even worked as a courier at night for a few weeks, earning Rs 60 per delivery,” she adds.
Verma held her first cheque of Rs 10,000 – her first winnings – close to her chest and even slept holding it. “I was overjoyed, and could only think of repaying my bills and loans with the money instead of splurging on myself or saving it,” Verma, who holds the record of 1 hour 23 minutes and 17 seconds for a 21-km marathon in Goa.
Better times
Taking note of her passion for running and her potential, the HR head of Centrum Capital – a city-based wealth management company – offered her a job that paid Rs 15,000 per month and also volunteered to pay for her competitions. “It is a dream come true. Running has now given me a stable source of income. I want to kiss my feet over and over again,” she says, fighting back tears.
Running, she says, rejuvenates rather than exhausts her. “Whenever I feel low, I run. It transports me to another world, she says, the twinkle back in her eyes. “I do feel weak at times since I my blood pressure is low, but my diet helps me get over it. I don’t spend on fancy diets as I don’t have that kind of money,” she adds
Verma explains the droop to one side of her mouth, recalling a paralytic attack she suffered at 21, just a year before her divorce. “By the grace of god, I recovered, though the lips give it away,” she says.
(Pooja Biraia Jaiswal is a
freelance writer)
After my first race in 2012, running has become my second love after my sonSeema VermaMarathon runner
