Chennai to Balrampur, migrant covers 2k-km journey on bicycle

Pathikrit.Chakraborty@timesgroup.com

Lucknow:  23.05.2020

A resident of Balrampur district pedalled about 2,000 kilometres to reach home from Chennai.

Mohammed Arif Khan(38) was left with no option, but to sell off his mobile phone, utensils and ceiling fan to buy a bicycle for Rs 5,500 and then began his 12-day journey home. He reached his village Indirapur on May 22.

“I was not sure whether I will be able to do so or not. Covering this distance on bicycle was not easy. However, I got help from people all along the route and I cycled day and night,” he said adding that “I used to earn Rs 15,000 per month by working in a car factory. I tried but did not get train or bus to reach home.”

“I got worried for once when while cycling on the third day its tyre got punctured near Ring Road in Telangana. I had to pull the cycle for about 50 km when a traffic cop offered me help in getting the tyre fixed,” he said.

“In Satna, I met one Sikander who is also from Balrampur and gave him lift on bicycle. We used to cover 110-km alternatively,” he said. “We took a day's rest in Prayagraj before setting out for the journey. In all, I had ten bananas and was offered food at three places – at Adilabad in Telangana, Seoni in MP and Prayagraj,” he said.

“We were overjoyed on May 21 to see a milestone that states Barabanki 100 km.”

Khan will now be kept in quarantine for 14 days along with Sikander. It took him 12 days to cover nearly 2,000 km, roughly 166-km a day.