3 Ludhiana factory workers cycle 1,100km to home in UP village

Tailors at a hosiery factory covered 200km a day and did not attempt to dodge police; were asked to stay isolated for a day each at state, district borders and allowed to move on after checking body temperature

Over 200km of cycling a day for almost a week, food from generous Punjabis, and an ample dose of luck and pluck, helped three factory workers reach home in Rae Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, 1,100km away, amidst the lockdown and curfew across Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

The three men, Arjun, 26, Monu, 30, and Narendra, 35, started on March 30 and reached their villages on April 5. Arjun and Monu are from Lala ka Purwa village; Narinder is from a nearby village. They worked as tailors at a hosiery factory in Ludhiana.

“We did not run away on seeing the police, but informed them about our journey and offered to be taken for medical screening. At all times, we covered our faces with a mask made out of handkerchief,” Arjun, currently isolating himself at home, told HT over phone. He added they felt it was far riskier to travel in an overcrowded truck or by hitching a ride from any other source.

On the way, they were told to isolate themselves for a day at the Uttarakhand-Uttar Pradesh border at Laskar, 500km away from their destination, and at Bareilly, 325 km away. After a screening, in which their body temperature was taken, they were asked to move on.

“Thanks to the generous spirit of Punjabis, we did not have to worry for food, even though we had packed 10kg of flour, utensils and raw vegetables,” Arjun adds, emphasising that they were anxious to get home and followed discipline.

“We started at 4am and used to stay at a temple or dharamshala at night. We used our mobile phone only once a day to conserve battery,” he adds. Manu and Narinder have three children each, Arjun has one child.

“Our families were worried. With the number of cases increasing, at one point we also felt we would never see family again. We are exhausted now, but realise that anything is possible.”