A man in the Indian state of Jharkhand drove his pregnant wife 1,200 kilometres on a scooter, so that she could appear for an exam for aspiring teachers in Madhya Pradesh. Now, the duo has received air tickets to return home.
The couple, 27-year-old Dhananjay Kumar and his wife, 22-year-old Soni Hembram, started travelling on a scooter from Ganta Tola village in Godda district of Jharkhand, to Gwalior - the centre for the DEd (Diploma in Education) exam, which is required to be cleared by those who want to become teachers.
As Kumar supports his wife’s dream of becoming a schoolteacher, he took up the long journey where the couple covered more than 1,200 km across four states and rode through rains as well as dirt roads.
The two could not travel to their destination on public transport due to the coronavirus lockdown in the country.
"As trains, buses and other means of transport were not available, we decided to traverse the journey by road on our two-wheeler. My wife, who is pregnant, was initially reluctant to take this arduous journey. But after seeing my determination, she agreed for this long journey,” Kumar was quoted as saying.
"If I had hired a taxi for coming to Gwalior, it would have cost Rs 30,000 (Dh1,500), which was a big amount for me. Whatever little jewellery we have, we mortgaged it to raise Rs 10,000 (Dh500). So far, we have spent Rs 5,000 (Dh250) on our one-way journey and on a room that we have taken on rent in Deendayal Nagar here,” he added.
Kumar worked as a cook with a caterer but lost his job about three months ago due to the lockdown.
See more
Sharing a news report about the couple, Indian author Kiran Manral, @KiranManral, tweeted: “I can't remember who said it, but 'the best career investment a woman can make is to marry a man who supports her dream.' This story will warm the cockles of your heart.”
After local media covered the couple’s story, the Adani Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of the Adani Group, offered them air tickets for their return to Jharkhand.
