Jyoti Kumari
Jyoti Kumari | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Jyoti Kumari Paswan[1] c. 2005 (age 18–19) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Student |
| Known for | A 1,200 km (750 mi) bicycle journey during India's COVID-19 lockdown |
| Parent(s) | Mohan Paswan and Phoolo Devi |
| Honours | Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2021 |
Jyoti Kumari (born c. 2005) is an Indian student from Sirhulli in the rural Darbhanga district of Bihar. She came to notice after she bicycled some 1,200 km (750 mi) with her injured father to reach their home village during COVID-19 lockdowns in India. She was given a national award, and a Bollywood film was proposed to record her story.[2]
Life
Kumari was born around 2005, and is from a small village named Sirhulli in the Darbhanga district in Bihar. Her mother, Phoolo Devi, is a cook in an Anganwadi child care facility, and her father was an e-rickshaw driver.[1]
On 25 March 2020, India imposed a lockdown to try and contain the COVID-19 pandemic. This resulted in tens of millions of out-of-work migrant workers deciding that they should journey home where they had the support networks required to look after them. Among these was Kumari's father, a rickshaw driver, but he had damaged his leg in an accident and was unable to walk.[3] India's government had imposed different restrictions for different areas, but nationwide restrictions included travel restrictions and no interstate bus journeys.[4] They were a long way from their homes and Kumari proposed to cycle home. With their last money they bought a girl's bicycle and despite Kumari's father's doubts they set off on 8 May 2020.[3]
Spectators were surprised to find a large man sitting on the seat of a bicycle while his much smaller daughter did the pedalling. They did have a short lift in a lorry, but they travelled about 100 miles each day. Some say that there may have been more than one lift but the journey was still significant[3] and she was described as travelling for 1,200 km (750 mi) with her father from Gurugram to Sirhulli in Bihar.[6]
This act of bravery was praised by the Senior Advisor to the President of the United States, Ivanka Trump, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.[7][8] Other well wishers and VIPs were outside her house when the story was published. The crowd was criticised for not following India's social distancing rules whilst giving her gifts.[9]
Even though there were several promises to help her attend school, Jyoti has still not been admitted into any secondary or higher secondary school.[1]
Kumari was conferred the 2021 Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Shakti Puraskar for bravery in the times of pandemic by the President of India.[10] Jyoti was invited to appear for cycling trials at the All India Cycling Federation because she was a plausible selection for the Indian cycling team.[11] The New York Times, in reports on Jyoti, referred to her as the "lionhearted girl… inspiring a nation".[12][13][3]
Film proposal
It was reported by India Today that Jyoti would play the lead role for a proposed Bollywood movie on her journey with her ailing father back home. The journey would be from Gurugram to Darbhanga, but it would also include fictionalised incidents to develop the story.[14]
References
- ^ a b c "Bihar Elections: Remember Cycle Girl Jyoti Kumari? She's Still Hoping to Join School". NewsClick. 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
- ^ "Bihar girl Jyoti Kumari, who put studies over trial offer, to play herself on screen". The Indian Express. 2020-07-04. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
- ^ a b c d Engle, Jeremy (2020-05-28). "Lesson of the Day: '"Lionhearted" Girl Bikes Dad Across India, Inspiring a Nation'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
- ^ "Full list of Red, Yellow, Green Zone districts for Lockdown 3.0". India Today. May 1, 2020. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
- ^ Google Map estimate
- ^ Desk, The Hindu Net (2020-05-26). "Watch | India's 'bicycle girl' Jyoti Kumari". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
{{cite news}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Bihar's bicycle girl Jyoti Kumari to play lead role in a film based on her life, Atmanirbhar". Hindustan Times. 2020-07-01. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
- ^ "Ivanka Trump criticised in India for praising migrant's hard journey home". The Independent. 2020-05-23. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
- ^ VIPs Throng 'Cycle Girl' Jyoti Kumari's House, Neglect Lockdown Rules | ABP News, retrieved 2021-02-27
- ^ "Girl Who Carried Her Father 1,200 Km On Cycle Among Bal Puraskar Winners". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
- ^ "Watch | India's 'bicycle girl' Jyoti Kumari". The Hindu. 2020-05-26. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
- ^ Gettleman, Jeffrey; Raj, Suhasini (2020-05-22). "'Lionhearted' Girl Bikes Dad Across India, Inspiring a Nation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
- ^ Mihindukulasuriya, Regina (2020-05-23). "Ivanka Trump, BBC, NYT hail Bihar migrant's cycling 'feat', but not all in India agree". ThePrint. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
- ^ "Jyoti Kumari, who cycled from Gurugram to Bihar village, to play lead in film based on her life". India Today. July 1, 2020. Retrieved 2021-02-22.