For the tech illiterate migrants, who are afraid of running from pillar to post to find a seat on a train home, a trek back to their native, no matter how arduous, is a rather viable option.
Carrying heavy luggage on their heads and shoulders amid the scorching heat, a group of six papad hawkers started their 900km journey from Amritsar for Auraiya, Uttar Pradesh, five days ago.
Finding cover under a tree near Dhandari Kalan, Ludhiana, on National Highway 44, they caught a breath before walking another 13km to reach Doraha by Friday evening.
“We still need to walk 650km. As we covered 180km in five days, it will take around 20 days more to reach our destination,” said 50-year-old Ashiq Ali.
The government did announce special trains, said Ali, but when he and some more men went to the nearby police station in Amritsar to apply for seats, the cops didn’t help them. “The policemen rather asked us to visit different offices. We are illiterate and did not know whom to approach, so we decided to cover the distance on foot,” he said.
‘ONE CHAPATTI A DAY’
{{/usCountry}}‘ONE CHAPATTI A DAY’
{{/usCountry}}Ration supply remains a struggle during this odyssey.
Yunus Ali, 20, said though they started their journey with wheat and some pulses, the supplies were running out. “We are carrying utensils, so we cook once a day and eat one chapatti per person to regain our strength. Sometimes, we run across Good Samaritans distributing food among migrants,” he said.
The group shared that truck drivers were clearly averse to giving them a ride. They had signalled many for a hitchhike, but no one stopped.
Another group of five men was spotted cycling from Giaspura, Ludhiana, to Chandausi, Uttar Pradesh, nearly 450km away. They said they had no idea how to apply for the trains online.
“We have suffered immensely since the curfew started on March 23. Remaining dependent on the government has not worked out well, so we have decided to cycle back home,” said Farooq,before raising himself back up to his cycle seat and pedalling away.