Tulsi Kumari, an 11-year-old mango vendor from Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur city, fulfilled her dream of buying a smartphone to attend online classes, by selling 12 mangoes for 1.2 lakh. The miracle happened after Ameya Hete, a Mumbai-based businessman learnt about her struggles through social media platforms, and decided to further her determination to study by buying mangoes.

Tulsi said her family’s financial situation had deteriorated during the lockdown and her parents had no means to buy a smartphone. “I wanted to buy one but whatever we earned from selling mangoes went into buying ration. Then a ‘Sir’ bought 12 mangoes from me for Rs 10,000 each.” Her mother Padmini Devi said Tulsi, a Std V student, “was adamant about buying a smartphone and started selling mangoes on the roadside during the lockdown... We are grateful to him [Hete]. They bought her a new smartphone and study material from that money.