Bhubaneswar/Cuttack: Failing to raise enough money to hire an ambulance to take his wife to a hospital, a 70-year-old man in Odisha pedalled 300 km in a rickshaw van from Sambalpur to Cuttack for her treatment and is now on their way back in the same fashion, defying old age and bone-chilling cold.“I have two loves in my life. One is my wife whom I am taking back home, and the other is my rickshaw van. I cannot leave either of them,” a proud Babu Lohar said, as he pedalled across the highway, refusing help from the police or locals.Lohar’s journey highlights the harsh realities faced by the poor and elderly in accessing basic healthcare and transport facilities, even as it stood as a powerful testament to unwavering marital devotion. Govt authorities are yet to react on the story that has become a talking point on the internet.In Nov last year, Lohar’s wife, Jyoti suffered a paralytic stroke and local health centre officials in Sambalpur’s Modipada, where the couple reside, referred them to the state-run SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack.“I did not have money to hire any vehicle, so I took out my rickshaw van. I put some old cushions on the rickshaw and let my wife lie on them. I pedalled chanting God’s name,” said Lohar, a rickshaw puller by profession.After nine days, covering 30 km by the day and halting near roadside shops by the night, he reached the Cuttack hospital. After two months of prolonged treatment, Lohar resumed his journey back home to Modipada on Jan 19, this year.Another twist in fate saw the couple meeting with a minor accident near Choudwar under Tangi Police Station in Cuttack district.A vehicle brushed the rickshaw while overtaking, and Jyoti fell on the road and hit her head, but Lohar did not sustain any injury.He took Jyoti to the local Tangi community health centre to put a bandage on the injured area. The local hospital provided the food and allowed them to stay overnight to avoid the cold, and they resumed the journey to Sambalpur on the morning of January 20.On the highway, Tangi police station officer in-charge Bikash Sethi spotted the elderly man pulling the rickshaw with his wife lying on it. The officer tried to persuade Lohar to allow the cops to arrange a vehicle for safe transport, but he refused to take any help.“I offered to arrange a vehicle for them considering the woman’s health and the man’s age, but he politely refused,” said Sethi. “His determination and emotional attachment are deeply moving. I haven’t seen anything like this ever,” Sethi said on Saturday.“Lohar said he does not have any family members except his wife and the rickshaw. After our repeated requests, he accepted some cash from us to eat food on the way to Sambalpur,” he added.
