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Outlook: The girl who cycled her father 1,200km to safety

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Jyoti and Mohan on the bike

08/09/2020 GMT

The girl who cycled her father 1,200km to safety

BBC World Service - Outlook, The girl who cycled her father 1,200km to safety

When Covid hit, Jyoti Kumari and her injured dad had to return to their home village

When coronavirus hit, Jyoti Kumari and her injured dad Mohan had to return to their home village. Jyoti cycled, Mohan sat on the back.

When India went into lockdown in response to the coronavirus crisis, millions of migrant workers staying in the cities were left unemployed and stranded. Jyoti Kumari and her dad Mohan Paswan were among them. With no work, they were running out of food and couldn't pay rent. Many migrant workers were travelling hundreds of kilometres on foot to get back to their home villages, but Mohan had been injured in a rickshaw accident and couldn't walk. So Jyoti bought a heavy old bicycle, sat her dad on the back, and cycled 1200km across the country. They spoke to Outlook's Nitin Srivastava.

If you make a phone call in India at the moment, chances are you'll hear Jasleen Bhalla's voice. She's the voice artist giving public service announcements, telling people to stay safe during the pandemic, before any call is connected. With millions listening every day across the country, the messages have elicited some strong reactions. Some call Jasleen a 'corona warrior', others find the messages very annoying. 

Captain Amol Yadav is an airline pilot with a very time consuming DIY project. For years, he's been building a working six-seater aircraft on the roof of his Mumbai apartment block. Getting the engine up seven flights of stairs was a 'nightmare', but now he's got something that can take to the skies. Once lockdown ended, he was finally able to do his first official test flight.  

Picture: Jyoti Kumari and Mohan Paswan on their bike
Credit: BBC

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