A man, who drove a car for 1,800 km from Gurugram to Odisha’s Cuttack district upon hearing of his mother’s demise, opted for institutional quarantine instead of attending the obsequies.

Kishore Beura, 40, a resident of Kuspangi village under Banki sub-division, was in Gururgram in connection with work when he received the message of his mother’s death on May 4.

Unable to travel to his village due to lockdown restrictions, he tried to get permission from the local authorities in Gurugram. It took him five days to get the authorisation letter to travel.

Mr. Beura, along with a relative, started by a car from Gurugram on May 9 and reached his village on May 11.

‘Mind over heart’

“We drove non-stop to cover a distance of 1,800 km. I was overwhelmed by emotions and wanted to console my grieving 80-year-old father. But I followed my mind over my heart. I kept looking at my family from the car in front of my home and did not step out,” he said. Then, he went straight to the quarantine centre at Kuspangi.

On Wednesday (May 13), when his family members performed the funeral, Mr. Beura kept his mother’s photograph on a chair at the quarantine centre and prayed for the departed soul.

“It was a poignant moment. There was enough reason for him to plead with us for home quarantine. But Mr. Beura remained calm and resolute that he would not contact others in the family,” said Puspalata Parida, Kuspangi sarpanch.

Though his test results came negative, Mr. Beura said he would undergo the full mandatory quarantine period at the centre.

“There are six other people quarantined currently at the centre. I could have contracted the virus during my stay here. I don’t want to put my ageing father and others at home in danger,” he said.

The local sarpanch said if others followed Mr. Beura’s example, the community spread of COVID-19 could be checked easily.