Migrant labourer cycles, walks, hitchhikes around 2,000 km in 13 days to reach home

Atiul Shah started his journey on April 17 from Salem in Tamil Nadu where he had gone to install air-conditioners in newly constructed buildings.

A 23-year-old migrant labourer from a village in Bengal, traveled around 2000 km in 13 days – sometimes riding a bicycle, sometimes walking and sometimes taking lift from passing vehicles - to reach home on Wednesday. He is now in home quarantine.

Atiul Shah (HT photo)

Atiul Shah started his journey on April 17 from Salem in Tamil Nadu where he had gone to install air-conditioners in newly constructed buildings. But as the pan-India lockdown started, his employer refused to give him any money and he left the job after an altercation. As his hardships started, he made up his mind to take the long arduous journey back home.

“I exchanged my mobile phone with a security guard at the construction site where I worked. I took his bicycle and a few hundred rupees. Every day I peddled throughout the day and sometimes at night too. I took rest only when I could not take the pain anymore,” said Atiul Shah.

Sometimes he took shelter in railway stations, sometimes outside police stations and sometimes under the shade of bridges, flyovers and abandoned shops along national highways.

“One day I spent the night on a sea-beach. As the waves were coming nearer at night, I tied the bicycle to a palm tree and spent the night on that tree. It was desolate. But I had only one thing in mind. I will reach home anyhow,” he added.

On his way, he met people, including police personnel, some of whom helped him with food and medicines.

“Sometimes I was stopped by police personnel who refused to allow me to go any further. I narrated my story and begged before them. Later they helped me. One policeman even gave me a mask. Once a policeman gave me medicines, when he saw my legs were swollen,” said Shah

Atiul could hardly remember the names of places he passed. He only remembers the hills, the sea, wide rivers and highways. Sometimes when he found shops open, he bought biscuits and dry food. Sometimes he would stand in long queues when he saw NGOs providing food to labourers.

“At one point of time I could hardly pedal anymore. I then took lift from a passing motorcycle. But as I could not carry the bicycle, I had to abandon it. The motorcycle rider dropped me at one point from where I got a lift from a passing truck. Again the truck driver dropped me at one point from where I started walking. Later I met a local villager who had a bicycle. I purchased it from him for Rs 1,000 and this is how I reached home,” he added.

The news of his homecoming spread like wildfire in the village and several villagers came to have a look. The local leaders took him to the Diamond Harbour Hospital where he was checked and asked to remain in home quarantine.

“I met him from a distance as he is in home quarantine. He has cycled over 2,000 km in 13 days, he told me. His brother had approached me earlier for help to bring him back home. I asked them to get in touch with the local BDO of Salem but they couldn’t. Later he came back on his own,” said Mozaffar Sheikh, the deputy village pradhan of Singla village.

His family, including his wife, was elated to know about his return. His wife, however, is in her parents’ house and could not meet him. The couple has spoken over phone.

“I am lucky that my brother made it. As he had exchanged his mobile phone for a cycle, he used to call us from other persons’ numbers whom he met on the way. We could not get in touch with him all this time,” said Ismail Shah, his elder brother.