The story of Shravan Kumar dates back to the ages of Ramayana. The legend of Shravan carrying his parents on shoulders to fulfill their wishes of pilgrimage has been an example of utmost dedication and care towards parents’ well-being.
Likewise, the story-like truth of Jyoti and Tabaarak’s fight against adversities to bring home their stranded and incapacitated parents during the Corona lockdown is both heart-wrenching and awe-inspiring.
Amidst the nation-wide lockdown situation due to the COVID-19 scare, thousands of migrants are stranded penniless and homeless in dire situations in different parts of the country. In fact, their hardships in reaching home in the absence of adequate transportation facilities have been regular occurrences in recent times.
11-YO pedals tricycle cart for 600 km carrying his parents
An-11-year-old Tabaarak’s video carrying his blind mother and wounded father almost 600 km on a tri-cycle went viral. He commuted from Varanasi to Bihar’s Araria where the landless family lives in a hut. He is the second youngest offspring.
मित्रों बधाई हो। देश का पहला और सबसे कम उम्र का आत्मनिर्भर मैंने ढूंढ निकाला है। 11 साल का बच्चा तवारे आलम। जो श्रवण कुमार बनकर ठेला चलाकर अपने माता पिता को मोदी जी की नगरी बनारस से अररिया ले जा रहा है।@yadavtejashwi @RJDforIndia @qarisohaibrjd @ChitranjanGaga1 @_garrywalia pic.twitter.com/1s5V36wKEV
— Madhu Singh (@MadhuSingh_RJD) May 14, 2020
His mother lost her eye-sight in an accident and his father fractured his leg while working at a marble shop in Varanasi. Whereas his elder brother stands stranded in Tamil Nadu, one of his three elder sisters is married.
15-YO girl cycles 1200 km with father riding as a pillion
With her debilitated father riding as a pillion, 15-year-old Jyoti Kumari cycled close to 1200 km for 7-days from Gurgaon to reach her home in Bihar. She cycled at least 30-40 km per day without enough food, staying hungry for almost 2 days. In between, they took lifts in trucks as well.
The teenager traveled to Gurgaon in March after her father Mohan Paswan, an e-rickshaw puller by profession, met with an accident. Consequently, when the lockdown was announced and they were unable to make the ends meet, Jyoti was determined to take her father home. Even though her father resisted to ride pillion to his daughter knowing how tough t would be for her, Jyoti was too determined.
“It was unbearably tiring. We would stop for food at places where we could see free food being distributed among people like us,” said Jyoti as reported by NDTV.
Impressed with her stamina the Cycling Federation of India offered Jyoti to take trials in the upcoming month.
Netizens were overwhelmed by witnessing the act of courage put together by these young souls. But some of them also expressed concerns over the grueling picture of migrant conditions it portrays.
Though parallels have been drawn between the mythological portrayal of Shravan Kumar and these children, the fact that they are compelled to take such desperate measures is reason enough to make one feel uncomfortable. Whereas no number of lauds is enough for these brave-hearts for their indomitable commitment towards parents, the structural discrepancy brewing inside the heart of the country may be shunning the growth of our future generations in an unimaginable way.
When the entire country is carrying the burden of the pandemic, are we not also to be held collectively responsible for the fate of these young ones?