Jyoti cycled from Gurugram to Bihar’s Darbhanga district with her father riding pillion over eight days. (Screenshot/BBCHindi)
Jyoti Kumari, the 15-year-old girl whose story went viral on social media last week after it emerged that she had cycled 1200 km from Gurugram to Bihar over eight days with her ailing father in tow, has been offered a trial by the Cycling Federation of India.
Fearing that they would soon be turned out by their landlord from their Gurugram lodgings, a tenacious Jyoti had asked her injured father to sit on the rear side carrier of her cycle as she pedalled home. “Amid the gloomy situation, Jyoti suggested that we return home. I pointed out that we would not be able to find any trains or buses and my condition would not allow me to walk. She said we should get a bicycle,” her father had said.
READ | Bihar girl turns down trial offer from cycling federation
The courageous story of Jyoti has also reached the White House in the USA as President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump tweeted lauding the Indian girl. “15 yr old Jyoti Kumari, carried her wounded father to their home village on the back of her bicycle covering +1,200 km over 7 days. This beautiful feat of endurance & love has captured the imagination of the Indian people and the cycling federation!🇮🇳,” she wrote.
15 yr old Jyoti Kumari, carried her wounded father to their home village on the back of her bicycle covering +1,200 km over 7 days.
This beautiful feat of endurance & love has captured the imagination of the Indian people and the cycling federation!🇮🇳 https://t.co/uOgXkHzBPz
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) May 22, 2020
Earlier, Cycling Federation of India Chairman Onkar Singh told PTI on Thursday that if Kumari, a class eight student, passes the trial, she will be selected as a trainee at the state-of-the-art National Cycling Academy at the IGI Stadium complex in New Delhi.
“We spoke to the girl this morning and we have told her that she will be called to Delhi next month as soon as the lockdown is lifted. All the expenses of her travel, lodging and other will be borne by us,” Singh said.
लॉकडाउन था, सो अपने पिता को साइकिल पर बैठाकर गुरुग्राम से दरभंगा ले गई बेटी…
वीडियो: मोहन भारद्वाज और सीटू तिवारी pic.twitter.com/Mc7hkmyB4O— BBC News Hindi (@BBCHindi) May 19, 2020
“If she needs to accompany somebody from home, we will also allow that. We will see in consultation with our Bihar state unit on how she can be brought to Delhi for a trial,” he added.
Asked about the rationale behind offering trial to the youngster, Singh said, “She must have something in her. I think cycling down more than 1200 km is not a mean job. She must be having the strength and physical endurance. We want to test it.”
Bihar: Jyoti,who cycled around 1200 km carrying her injured father from Gurugram to their native place in Darbhanga,amid #COVID lockdown,has been offered trial by Cycling Federation of India. She says,”I’m very happy that I got offer,will go to Delhi for trial next month”.(22.05) pic.twitter.com/qNf41Zsf03
— ANI (@ANI) May 23, 2020
“We will make her sit on the computerised cycle we have at the academy and see if she satisfies the seven or eight parameters to get selected. After that she can be among the trainees and she will not have to spend anything.”
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He said the CFI always tries to find out talent for grooming.
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