By Gyanendra Kumar Keshri

Girls riding bicycles to schools is one of the most visible changes in Bihar’s education system. Be it the bustling cities like Patna, Gaya and Muzaffarpur or small towns and villages in Bihar you can see girls riding bicycles with confidence.

This is, perhaps, the most positive change in Bihar’s journey towards women empowerment over the past one-and-a-half decade rule of Nitish Kumar as chief minister of the state.

Kumar introduced a scheme called Mukhyamantri Balika Cycle Yojana (chief minister’s bicycle scheme for girls) in 2006, within one year of his taking over the reins of the state. Under this scheme, Bihar government provides money to every girl who enrol in class IX for purchase of a bicycle. Initially Rs 2000 was given. The money used to be distributed through schools. The amount was subsequently increased to Rs 2500 and it is now being transferred to bank accounts of eligible girls through DBT mode.

The idea behind this scheme was to reduce girls dropout from the secondary education. Since the school density is quite low in Bihar girls had to walk a long distance to reach school. Cycle reduced the time to reach distant schools. It succeeded in bringing schools closer without much investments. However, the impact of the scheme is not limited to bringing girls to schools. It is much wider. It has led to new social norms and aspirations.

15-year-old Jyoti Kumari from Sirhulli villages of Darbhanga district in Bihar is a manifestation of the new social norms, aspirations and courage the humble bicycle has given to the millions of young girls in Bihar. While for majority of the young girls bicycle brought the school closer and gave a reason to continue study, for Jyoti Kumari it gave a confidence of covering 1200 kms journey from Gurugram, Haryana to her native place in Darbhanga, Bihar with her wounded father.

Jyoti is not yet a direct beneficiary of Mukhyamantri Balika Cycle Yojana. Last year she dropped out after studying till Class VIII. But she is the manifestation of the wider societal change the cycle scheme has brought in Bihar. It gave her the confidence and courage to do things, which is unthinkable for most of us.

APATHY TOWARDS MIGRANTS

Migrant workers from Bihar are among the worst hit due to the nationwide lockdown imposed since March 25. An estimated 122 million people lost their jobs in April alone and three-quarters of these were small traders and wage labourers, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). Circular migrants from Bihar formed a significant proportion of those affected. The loss of work and livelihoods have triggered a massive exodus of migrant labourers from industrial and business centres. Such migrant workers, left with no income and food, started arduous journey back home on foot or bicycles.

An estimated 122 million people lost their jobs in April alone and three-quarters of these were small traders and wage labourers, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). Circular migrants from Bihar formed a significant proportion of those affected.

There are stories of workers returning home by foot covering a distance of over 1000 kms. There are regular reports of such workers meeting with fatal accidents en route to their homes. Over 150 workers, several of them from Bihar, have been killed in road accidents. Hundreds of thousands of migrant workers have walked back home, several of them covering 1000 to 1500 kms of distance. A large number of them are still on the road in the scorching heat struggling to reach their respective native place.

The story of each of the migrants undergoing such hardships to reach home is the story of grit and courage on the one hand and demonstration of the failure of the system on the other. The lockdown, which was imposed on 25 March, initially for 21 days, has been extended thrice. It has been extended till May 31 without making adequate arrangements to ferry distressed migrant workers who became jobless due to the lockdown.

The story of a 15-year-old girl Jyoti Kumari returning to Bihar from Gurugram, Haryana has caught the imagination of the national and international media. The reason being, apart from the sufferings caused due to state’s failure, this is the story of indomitable courage of a young girl.

WHO IS JYOTI?

Jyoti Kumari is a daughter of Phoolo Devi, who works as a cook at an Anganwadi centre at her native place in Darbhanga district of Bihar and Mohan Paswan, an autorickshaw driver. She completed class VIII last year and has not taken admission in class IX yet due to the precarious financial condition of her family. Jyoti is one of the five kids of his landless parents. She has two sisters and two brothers.

STRUGGLE OF FATHER

Jyoti’s father Mohan Paswan has been in Gurugram (previously Gurgaon) for the past 20 years. He met with an accident on January 26 this year. Since then he has been keeping unwell and not able to drive the autorickshaw. At the end of January Jyoti went to Gurugram along with her mother to take care of her father. Her mother returned back home due to work, but Jyoti stayed with her father to take care of his health.

There was no income but they had to pay rent every month and needed money to buy food, medicine, etc. Her mother used to send money. But it was not sustainable. So they had planned to go back home. Amid the plan of returning home came the lockdown. No train, no bus. They were stuck in Gurugram like thousands of other migrant labourers. They were hoping that the by mid-April they will be able to return home once the train service is resumed. But the lockdown was extended. But the lockdown was extended twice and came the rumours (or may be truth) that the things may not get normal for several months to come. By the end of April, they were left with no money, no ration.

They were living under huge stress but were hopeful of getting some mode of transportation after the second phase of lockdown which was scheduled to end on May 3. However, the lockdown was extended again. The third phase of the lockdown started from May 4. The extension of the lockdown dashed their hope.

1200 KMS JOURNEY

In the first week of May Jyoti came up with an idea of returning home on a bicycle. How did she get the idea of cycling 1200 kms? It came from her experience of cycling at her native place. “I cycle a lot at my native place. At many times I had taken around my father to the village whenever he used to come,” Jyoti said alluding how she got the confidence of cycling at the village looking at other girls.

Jyoti mooted the idea of going home by bicycle without having a bicycle. So the first thing she had to do to purchase a bicycle. Jyoti did not have money to purchase a new bicycle. But luckily, she managed to find an old bicycle. One of her father’s acquaintance agreed to sell his old bicycle for Rs 1600.

Jyoti’s father Mohan Paswan was skeptical about the idea of going back home by bicycle. According to Jyoti, her father was initially not ready. But Jyoti persisted. Interestingly, she mooted the idea of going home by bicycle without having a bicycle. So the first thing she had to do to purchase a bicycle. Jyoti did not have money to purchase a new bicycle. But luckily, she managed to find an old bicycle. One of her father’s acquaintance agreed to sell his old bicycle for Rs 1600. Mohan Paswan had received Rs 1000 in his account from the government as a financial help during the lockdown. Jyoti withdrew the Rs 1000 from the ATM. She paid Rs 500 to the cycle owner and convinced him that she would pay the remaining amount once her father returns back after the things get normal. After paying Rs 500 for bicycle she was left with Rs 500.

With a second-hand bicycle and Rs 500 in hand, Jyoti left Gurugram on May 10. She started pedalling with her father on the rear carrier of the bicycle. She used to pedal over 100 kms everyday. The father-daughter duo reached Darbhanga on May 17, covering around 1200 kms of distance in around 8 days. Jyoti pedalled almost the entire journey, except getting lift from a truck driver for some distance.

PRAISE FOR THE COURAGE

Several people have come forward to salute the courage and determination of Jyoti. Ivanka Trump, adviser and daughter of US President Donald Trump twitted: “15 yr old Jyoti Kumari, carried her wounded father to their home village on the back of her bicycle covering +1,200 km over 7 days. This beautiful feat of endurance & love has captured the imagination of the Indian people and the cycling federation!”

Praising her courage Union Minister for Law & Justice and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “During these difficult times we all are doing the best to help citizens. Was moved to see the courage of a young girl from Bihar who paddled for over 1000 kms on cycle from Gurugram to Darbhanga with her father as pillion.”

Prasad said he had requested Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju to provide full support to Jyoti Kumari by way of training and scholarship to develop her as a cyclist of repute. “I salute her courage and determination,” he added.

In a tweet Rijiju said: “I assured @rsprasad ji (Ravi Shankar Prasad). Will ask the SAI officials and Cycling Federations of India to report to me after conducting the trials of Jyoti Kumari. If found potential, she will be selected as trainee at the National Cycling Academy in the IGI Stadium complex in New Delhi.”

OFFER FROM CYCLING FEDERATION

Cycling Federation of India has made an offer to Jyoti Kumari to participate in a test and if selected she will be given an opportunity to take training at the state-of-the-art National Cycling Academy at the IGI Stadium complex in New Delhi.
Jyoti confirmed about the offer from the Cycling Federation but declined to go for the test immediately. “They called me and said that you will have to participate in cycle race. I said ok, but I can’t do it immediately because I am extremely tired. My legs and hands are paining extremely,” Jyoti said in Hindi adding that she might go for the training after one month.

Cycling Federation of India has made an offer to Jyoti Kumari to participate in a test and if selected she will be given an opportunity to take training at the state-of-the-art National Cycling Academy at the IGI Stadium complex in New Delhi.

“We spoke to the girl this morning and we have told her that she will be called to Delhi next month as soon as the lockdown is lifted. All the expenses of her travel, lodging and other will be borne by us,” Cycling Federation of India Chairman Onkar Singh told news agency PTI.

Asked about the rationale behind offering trial to Jyoti, Cycling Federation of India Chairman said, “She must have something in her. I think cycling down more than 1200 kms is not a mean job. She must be having the strength and physical endurance. We want to test it.”

“We will make her sit on the computerised cycle we have at the academy and see if she satisfies the seven or eight parameters to get selected. After that she can be among the trainees and she will not have to spend anything.”

CYCLE OF CHANGE

It is hard to predict what lies ahead for Jyoti Kumari. If she performs well at the National Cycling Academy, it could be a life-changing opportunity for her. Jyoti is like hundreds of thousands of girls cycling around the streets and roads of every parts of Bihar.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has often termed girl cycle scheme as one of his most satisfying achievements. Talking about the cycle scheme Kumar once said: “Nothing gives me a greater sense of fulfilment of a work well done than seeing a procession of school-bound, bicycle-riding girls. It’s a statement for social forward movement, of social equality and of social empowerment.”

The scheme has dramatically boosted girl’s enrolment in secondary education. Only 1.7 lakh girls were enrolled in schools across the state in class IX during the year 2006 when the scheme was launched. This has now risen to over 8 lakh. Girl’s enrollment has now come almost at par with the boys.

The scheme has given wings to aspirations of girls. Jyoti is the demonstration of that aspirations, perseverance and courage.

Jyoti’s father, today, might be happy to know about all the attention his daughter is getting. But he would definitely not like to remember those days of hardships and uncertainties he faced for eight days in his journey back home with daughter. No father would like his kids to go through such hardships. What Jyoti did, was obviously not out of choice, but a compulsion. That compulsion arose due to the failure of the system in managing the Covid crisis. Although there is nothing to celebrate or cheer about what Jyoti has done, her grit and indomitable courage deserve a big salute!