Woman travels 2,700 km across six states to meet ailing son in hospital

A 50-year-old woman travelled 2,700 km in a car across six states to meet her critically-ill son, a BSF jawan in Jodhpur, amid the lockdown enforced to control the spread of COVID-19.

The woman was accompanied by her daughter-in-law and another relative during the journey, which they covered in three days’ time.

Speaking to PTI from Jodhpur in Rajasthan, Sheelamma Vasan said the health condition of her son Arun Kumar (29), who was suffering from myositis, (inflammation of muscles), was improving. “Due to god’s grace, we have reached here without any problems anywhere,” she said.

The family was informed by a Malayali doctor at AIIMS in Jodhpur about Arun Kumar’s condition, following which they decided to undertake the journey from Kerala through Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Gujarat to reach Rajasthan.

Thanks to the intervention of Union Minister V Muraleedharan, office of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and Congress leader Oommen Chandy, the family could get necessary passes for the travel across the states.

Volunteers from a Hindu helpline, a VHP organisation, helped in arranging a cab and two taxi drivers free of cost to take them to Jodhpur.

After getting the necessary passes arranged by Kottayam District Collector P K Sudheer Babu, Sheelamma, accompanied by her daughter-in-law Parvathy and another relative, set off on the journey from Panackachira village in Koruthodu panchayat in Kottayam on April 11 and reached Jodhpur on April 14, which was also the day of “Vishu” (Malayalam new year).

The jawan, who had come to his village during the end of February on leave and days after his return had fallen ill, had expressed the desire to meet his mother and wife. Arun Kumar’s one-year-old child is in Kerala.

This mother’s journey comes close on the heels of another woman who rode 1,400 km on her two wheeler from Telangana to bring back her son stuck in Andhra Pradesh.

The Burqa-clad mom, Razia Sultana, a school teacher from Bodhan town in Telangana undertook the journey on her scooter and brought her son, a student from Rehmatabad in Andhra Pradesh