36-year-old woman with PhD award sells fruits, Know why?

Indore: Dr Raisa Ansari, a woman fruit vendor became an internet sensation overnight after a video of her speaking in English while revolting against the Indore Municipal Corporation has gone viral.

While speaking to media officials, the 36-year-old woman revealed that she had been offered an opportunity to join a research project in Belgium at a time while she was doing research at IISER Kolkata on CSIR fellowship.

Talking about receiving the offer letter from Belgium, Raisa said, "My seniors Anupam, Shilpa, Ranjith from this university were working at a research project in Belgium. The research head of the project in Belgium gave me permission to join and had sent the offer letter here. To get there, the consent of my PhD guide was necessary but he refused to sign the consent form. At that time, I also went to CSIR Fellowship for a research project at IISER, Kolkata. When the opportunity of Belgium fell out of my hands, I was very upset and I came back from Kolkata."

The video of the woman is getting viral in social media and many netizens got impressed with her English speaking skills and confidence. While selling fruits on a roadside cart in the Malwa Mill area of Indore, Raisa Ansari claims to hold a PhD in Material Sciences from Devi Ahilyabai Vishwa Vidyalaya and has also completed her degree in Masters in Science in the first class from the School of Physics. The family circumstances and situations made the woman to give up her job at a local engineering college and join her family business of selling fruits and vegetables.

As tragic as her story seems, Raisa received her PhD award in 2011 whereas she had registered for it in the year 2004. After facing unfortunate family issues, Raisa left the job to look after her family and started selling fruits for a living.

After Raisa's story of struggle came into limelight in social platforms, many professors of the university recognized the young woman.

Speaking about Raisa, Head of the School of Physics at Devi Ahilya University and former in-charge Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ashutosh Mishra said, "I remember Raisa's PhD degree was not released and Raisa also complained of not being able to give the viva for two years despite the submission of her thesis. The professor informed that after witnessing this trouble, professors and his colleagues had reached the department itself and got it done."