Coronavirus: This disabled woman from Pune rode 1,200 km to bring her son home

On April 25, one month into the nationwide lockdown, a disabled woman and resident of Pune, Maharashtra, chose to travel 1,200 km to Amravati. Thirty-seven-year-old Sonu Khandare works with a private company as an accountant, and to her, this long and drastic journey was unprecedented.

She received a sudden call from his son, who was visiting his grandparents in Amravati, which led her to undertake an 18-hour journey on her scooter to bring him back home safely.

"My son Prateek had gone to my in-laws' place at a village in Anjangaon Surji tehsil on March 17, and was stuck there after the lockdown was announced on March 22," Sonu told NDTV.

Having been stranded in the village since the lockdown began, Prateek found no means to travel back home, especially in accordance with the state’s safety guidelines regarding the coronavirus pandemic. 

Initially, before the extension of the lockdown beyond May 4, Prateek’s parents were not quite concerned. However, they soon approached district authorities and applied for a travel pass online. Unfortunately, hiring a car would cost them Rs 8,000, making it an expensive affair. 

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Soon after, Sonu approached the police commissioner’s office and received a special permit, allowing her to travel for 48 hours on April 24. 

"When I was granted a travel pass for 48 hours on April 24, I just headed home, packed some food and water, and left on my two-wheeler without thinking twice," she added, as reported by The New Indian Express.

While riding at night with no street lights, and doing away only with the vehicle’s headlight, she was stopped and questioned at every check-post along the way. She said that it was a test of her perseverance.  Additionally, harsh weather conditions and arid terrain near the Marathwada and Vidarbha region didn’t help her cause at all. 

After making an early start from Pune on April 25, she reached her in-laws home in the afternoon, reconciling with her son after a month.

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