A Gandhian couple from Madurai who with sheer determination and some support from well-wishers overcame all odds to complete a padayatra from Erode to Hyderabad, a good part of it at the height of lockdown, began their return journey on Monday.
Though the couple, M. Karuppaiah and Chitra, usually take a train while returning on completion of their padayatras, this time it was a lorry on which they had to set out for home. “Though we were scheduled to leave on Sunday, for some reason that could not materialise. Instead we started on Monday,” Mr. Karuppaiah said.
With restrictions on road movements and inter-state borders closed except for cargo vehicles and resumption of train services still sometime away, they decided to take the lorry option. Well-wishers had secured them necessary permissions from police for the travel and made arrangements.
Indeed, throughout their padayatra, which they started on Republic Day (January 26), it was support from different quarters that saw them through many obstacles once the lockdown was announced. The challenges they faced included resistance from locals in some places en route to their staying there — as they have been travelling and meeting different people — or a heavy rain that damaged much of their meagre belongings, including some documents, he said.
On reaching the city, after some struggle, they found a place to stay at Hari Hara Kshetram in Karmanghat. Besides from the temple administration, they received support from many others, including RSS leader Ekta Parishad, Jana Sena Party Women’s Wing and police, he said.
Though they left Hyderabad without a visit to Bapu Ghat, the couple plan to return sometime later and launch another padayatra from there.