The news is filled with stories of migrant workers who are struggling to reach home, starving and stranded jobless across the country. Most recently, one such story came to limelight when a 15-year-old girl named Jyoti Kumari cycled 1,200 km to help her injured father. Jyoti cycled from Gurugram to her native place in Bihar and completed the journey in 7 days. The Cycling Federation of India has taken notice of her unusual feat and invited her for an official trial next month, reported news agency PTI.
According to the report, Cycling Federation of India Chairman Onkar Singh expressed to PTI that if Jyoti passed the trail, she could be selected as a trainee at the National Cycling Academy at the IGI Stadium complex in Delhi.
The girl has been reportedly informed that she will be asked to go to Delhi as soon as the lockdown is lifted. Additionally, her travel and lodging expenses will be taken care of by the Cycle Federation.
This could certainly be a life-changing opportunity for Jyoti who displayed exceptional strength and courage when she decided to peddle her way from Gurugram to Darbangha, Bihar.
Jyoti and her father were stranded in Gurugram when the nationwide lockdown was declared across the country.
While this is great news, it’s still heartbreaking to see the plight of migrant workers. The migrant worker crisis unfolding amidst the COVID pandemic is truly heartbreaking and one can only hope for things to start looking up again.
(With inputs from PTI)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)