School time: Farah lends a helping hand to Bihar’s ‘cycle girl’
Remember Bihar’s ‘cycle girl’, Jyoti Kumari Paswan — the 15-year-old who cycled from Gurugram to Darbhanga (Bihar), covering over 1,200 km in a week with her ailing father amid the lockdown? Her incredible feat had attracted everyone’s attention. And while a number of promises and assurances were made to Paswan and her family, we have exclusively learnt that Farah Khan has “already gone ahead to quietly lend a helping hand”.
Earlier this month, the filmmaker-choreographer deposited money in Paswan’s account to sponsor a full year of her school education. “Yes, it’s true and she intends to do the same every year. But Farah doesn’t want to talk about it. That’s why no one knows,” an industry insider tells us.
Moved by Paswan’s courage for the sake of her father, the filmmaker kept track of what she was up to. “After asking around, she finally got Jyoti’s number and decided to do her bit for the girl’s education as it’s something that will help her in life,” says the insider, adding that Khan also took help from an NGO she regularly works with. We have also learnt that Khan has offered to sponsor the education expenses of Paswan’s two sisters as well. “If the family gets back to her, she is ready to help the three sisters with their education,” says the insider, adding that Khan wants to help “as many needy people as possible”, and more so during the lockdown.
In an interview last month, Paswan said she was “excited” to be able to go to school again soon. She had said, “I’ll resume education once the lockdown ends. Due to financial constraints, I had stopped going to school two years ago.” Khan remained unavailable for a comment.