Darbhanga (AsiaNews) - A 15-year-old girl brought her sick father by bicycle from Gurgaon (Haryana) to their village in Darbhanga (Bihar). Jyoti Kumari cycled for 1200 km, covering about 100 km a day, with her parent - Mohan Paswan - sitting in the back seat. Only for a short distance did a truck driver give them a lift.
Mohan, a rickshaw driver, had an accident last January. Since then he has been unable to work. Jyoti reached him in Gurgaon to take care of him. Having nothing to live on, the young woman decided to go home with her father.
Jyoti and Mohan reached their village on May 17th, after a 10-day journey. Jyoti in Sanskrit means "light": with her endeavor, she has become the light of an entire community, and an example of courage for those who know her.
The skill shown by the young woman has not gone unnoticed. The Indian Cycling Federation invited her to a selection test to be able to enter its academy in Delhi. Jyoti's future still seems to be riding a bike.
The story of Jyoti and her father is not an isolated one in India. The government is gradually easing restrictions to contain the coronavirus pandemic, but many jobless migrants are still trying to reach their villages of origin. A video of two little girls in obvious pain and exhaustion trying to walk to Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) has gone viral in Indian social networks.
