Tortuous 250 km trek and then home sweet home

From the long and tortuous 250 km, two day walk home, empty-stomach, to binge eating, family reunion and peaceful relaxation – here’s the life story of eight migrants,

From the long and tortuous 250 km, two day walk home, empty-stomach, to binge eating, family reunion and peaceful relaxation – here’s the life story of eight migrants, seven days apart.

Ram Achal (left) and Bechu Lal (right) in their village in Bahraich. (Pankaj Jaiswal/HT)

During the lockdown on March 24, the eight migrants embarked on a walk from Kanpur to their village Lalla Beli in Bahraich.

While passing through Lucknow on their way home on March 25 they shared their exasperation at their helplessness and the ordeal they were going through to reach home.

On April 1, Hindustan Times tracked them to their village where Ram Achal, 28, said: “There’s no better feeling in the world than being home. We do not regret the walk now. Our families and fellow villagers treated us like heroes.”

The village -- with just about 50 huts -- is by the Ghagra river.

Manna Lal, 48, who had led them on the walk, was not nearby. “He is now obsessed with swimming in the river. He eats, swims, stays home and does nothing. All of us are just idling around. In two weeks we will look for wheat harvesting job in the nearby farms. It could get us Rs 250 per day against Rs 450 per day construction work that we were doing in Kanpur. This wage difference makes us migrate,” said Bechu Lal, 30.

During the March 24 Lucknow conversation, smiles were alien to these eight migrants; now they are all smiles.