Many criticized Ivanka Trump for glamorising the story of Jyoti Kumari, the 15-year-old girl, who bicycled her father for 1,200 km to reach home. It is because what the poor are going through in this pandemic and the problems they are facing because of the lockdown, are excruciatingly real - concerning life and death.?
That is why another story of a little boy taking his parents home, is not as heroic as it is tragic.?
Amid lockdown, Tabaarak, an 11-year-old boy, pedaled a tricycle cart for nine days to take his parents from Uttar Pradesh¡¯s Varanasi to their village in Bihar¡¯s Araria, a distance of around 600 kilometres. Tabaarak is the fifth of six children, reports The Wire.?
The video of the little boy, pedaling on tricycle cart is going viral on social media. People making the video stopped the trio and asked the little boy why he was pedaling his parents.
According to the report, his elder brother is stranded in Tamil Nadu and he has three sisters, one of whom is married.
The little boy¡¯s mother, Sogra, is blinded as she was injured while cutting paddy crop.?Israfil, his father, used to work in a marble shop in Varanasi for 20 years. He had met with an accident which left him with a fractured leg.??
The 11-year-old took it upon himself to take his parents home.?
Jyoti Kumari¡¯s story is somewhat similar. She cycled 1,200 kilometres to get her injured father from Delhi to Darbhanga, Bihar.
The 15-year-old girl made the decision to get father all the way from the capital to their village, reported Times of India. Not only was the journey extremely physically challenging, but also dangerous, given that the highways and inner city roads aren't exactly safe for women. The Class Vll student had other worries like being hit by a vehicle, since unfortunately, accidents like that have claimed the lives of many who were travelling home.?
Since the time the story of her journey came to light, she was offered to come to trials by the cycling Federation of India who were ready to make all kinds of arrangements for her. However she declined the offer and chose to focus on her studies.?
After this, Super 30 founder and noted mathematician, Anand Kumar, offered free coaching to Jyoti Kumari for the IIT-JEE entrance exam. He tweeted that his brother Pranav met the family and that if she plans to do engineering she will be welcomed to Super 30.?
Jyoti and Tabaarak¡¯s are the stories that have come to light and been noticed. There are probably thousands of children out there, having to take on the role of adults because of being hit by the pandemic.?