A teenager's epic ride

At fifteen, during India's COVID lockdown, Jyoti Kumari cycled over seven hundred miles from Gurugram to her village in Bihar carrying her injured father on her bicycle.

Why her father needed help

Mohan Paswan drove an autorickshaw for twenty years in Gurugram, a city near Delhi, sending money to his wife and five children in Sirhulli village.

The lockdown made travel impossible

Five months after his accident, Mohan Paswan still hadn't recovered and the family was running out of money for food and rent. Authorities had shut down public transportation for the pandemic lockdown.

Jyoti's solution

Kumari insisted she would bring her father home on a bicycle she'd bought for twenty dollars. She cycled for seven consecutive days on a relatively empty stomach at the height of the lockdown.

Global fame arrived

Her epic ride grabbed headlines around the world. NPR's previous reporting noted promises of cash rewards, training for a career as a cyclist, and even a movie deal.

Six years later: promises broken

Kumari told NPR that politicians who promised money for sports or education gave nothing. Whatever reward money was collected went into rebuilding their brick house with bare walls.

“The politicians who made promises, saying they would give money for my sports or education, nobody actually gave anything.”

Her father died months later

Mohan Paswan passed away of a heart attack in May two thousand twenty-one, just months after his daughter brought him home. After his passing, financial security became precarious for the family.

Hunger and household work

Her mother works as a cook supporting Kumari and three siblings. Kumari cooks, cleans, washes clothes by hand and cares for younger siblings before studying. There are days when they go to sleep hungry.

“There are days when we go to sleep hungry.”

Education as the only way out

Kumari has yet to pass the final exam required to complete Class twelve, her final year of secondary school.She says education is the only path out of poverty, not the fame that once surrounded her.

“When you're poor, fame doesn't help. Only education can help you out of your difficulties.”

Cycling now is only for errands

Kumari still loves cycling and the freedom it represents. But she no longer has time to cycle for joy or train as a competitive sport. She only cycles to do errands for the family.

Hope rests on her sister

With her own progress on hold, the family has set their hopes on her younger sister, who will take her twelfth grade exams in mid-two thousand twenty-seven.