Girl who pedalled injured dad across India offered national team trial

Darbhanga A 15-year-old girl who pedalled her injured migrant-worker father more than 1000 kilometres across India after a coronavirus lockdown left them destitute has been invited to try out for the national cycling team.

Jyoti Kumari rode a bicycle with her father, Mohan Paswan, sitting on the pillion and holding their belongings from Gurugram City, near New Delhi, to their village in the northeastern state of Bihar, local media reported.

They arrived home on May 16 after covering 1200km in seven days. Paswan, a motorised rickshaw driver, was among millions of migrant workers left jobless after the country was suddenly locked down in March to slow the spread of the virus. With no money to pay rent or buy food and public transport halted, many walked or - like Kumari and Paswan - rode bicycles back to their villages.

The father and daughter’s arduous journey on a second-hand bike bought with their remaining funds made headlines.

Photo: AFP Jyoti Kumari Paswan, wearing a face mask, stands with her family outside their home in the northeastern state of Bihar.