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{{Short description|Indian girl who cycled 1,200 km during the COVID-19 lockdown}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jyoti Kumari
| image = Jyoti Kamari aged 16 (cropped).jpg
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_name = Jyoti Kumari Paswan<ref name=niceref/>
| birth_date = {{circa|{{birth year and age|2005}}}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| death_cause =
| other_names =
| known_for = A {{convert|1,200|km|mi|abbr=on|adj=on}} bicycle journey during India's COVID-19 lockdown
| education =
| employer =
| occupation = Student
| religion =
| parents = Mohan Paswan and Phoolo Devi
| relatives =
| signature =
| honours = [[Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar]] 2021
| website =
| footnotes =
| nationality = [[India]]n
}}
'''Jyoti Kumari''' (born {{Circa|2005}}) is an Indian student from [[Sirhulli]] in the rural [[Darbhanga district]] of [[Bihar]]. She came to notice after she bicycled some {{convert|1,200|km|mi|abbr=on}} with her injured father to reach their home village during [[COVID-19 lockdown in India|COVID-19 lockdowns in India]]. She was given a national award, and a Bollywood film was proposed to record her story.<ref>{{Cite web|date=4 July 2020|title=Bihar girl Jyoti Kumari, who put studies over trial offer, to play herself on screen|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/sport-others/bihar-cycle-girl-turns-down-trial-6425115/|access-date=22 February 2021|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref>

==Life==
Kumari was born around 2005, and is from a small village named Sirhulli in the Darbhanga district in Bihar. Her mother, Phoolo Devi, is a cook in an [[Anganwadi]] child care facility, and her father was an [[e-rickshaw]] driver.<ref name=niceref/>

On 25 March 2020, India imposed a lockdown to try to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. This resulted in tens of millions of out-of-work migrant workers deciding that they should journey home where they had the support networks required to look after them. Among these was Kumari's father, a rickshaw driver, but he had damaged his leg in an accident and was unable to walk.<ref name=nyt/> India's government had imposed different restrictions for different areas, but [[COVID-19 lockdown in India|nationwide restrictions]] included travel restrictions and no interstate bus journeys.<ref>{{Cite web|date=1 May 2020|title=Full list of Red, Yellow, Green Zone districts for Lockdown 3.0|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/red-orange-green-zones-full-current-update-list-districts-states-india-coronavirus-1673358-2020-05-01|access-date=27 February 2021|website=India Today|language=en}}</ref> They were a long way from their homes and Kumari proposed to cycle home. With their last money they bought a girl's bicycle and despite Kumari's father's doubts they set off on 8 May 2020.<ref name="nyt" />
{{Location map+
|India
|float=left
|width=200
|alt=A map of India showing the start and end of her journey
|caption=The journey from Gurugram to Sirhulli in Bihar is at least 699 miles by road.<ref name=mile721>[https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1CAVHDQ_enGB877&sxsrf=ALeKk02JxcshDvs3nG9NrL5o5vXkv1_xaw%3A1614445911787&ei=V306YPCiL6LzxgOmpI7AAw&q=how+far+from+gugugram+to+sirhulli+in+miles&oq=how+far+from+gugugram+to+sirhulli+in+miles&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAM6BwgAEEcQsAM6BwghEAoQoAFQwVRYgmhgoHFoAXABeACAAfYBiAHLC5IBBTAuOC4ymAEAoAEBqgEHZ3dzLXdpesgBCMABAQ&sclient=gws-wiz&ved=0ahUKEwiwqtLYx4rvAhWiuXEKHSaSAzgQ4dUDCA0&uact=5 Google Map estimate]</ref> |places=
{{Location map~|India|lat=28.456|long=77.029|position=left|label=<div style="position: relative; top: 0.5em;">[[Gurugram]], SW of New Delhi</div>}}
{{Location map~
|India
|lat=25.4|long=85.1
|position=right
|label=<div style="position: relative; top: -0.5em; left: -0.1em">[[Sirhulli]], ~1200 km away</div>}}
}}
Spectators were surprised to find a large man sitting on the seat of a bicycle while his much smaller daughter did the pedalling. They did have a short lift in a [[lorry]], but they travelled about 100 miles each day. Some say that there may have been more than one lift but the journey was still significant<ref name="nyt" /> and she was described as travelling for {{convert|1,200|km|mi|abbr=on}} with her father from [[Gurgaon|Gurugram]] to [[Sirhulli]] in [[Bihar]].<ref>{{Cite news|author=The Hindu Net Desk|date=26 May 2020|title=Watch {{!}} India's 'bicycle girl' Jyoti Kumari|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/indias-bicycle-girl-jyoti-kumari/article31677071.ece|access-date=22 February 2021|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

This act of bravery was praised by the [[Senior Advisor to the President of the United States]], [[Ivanka Trump]], and Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=1 July 2020|title=Bihar’s bicycle girl Jyoti Kumari to play lead role in a film based on her life, Atmanirbhar|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/bihar-s-bicycle-girl-jyoti-kumari-to-play-lead-role-in-a-film-based-on-her-life-atmanirbhar/story-RtXYgElE9LgbJEctmBrRyH.html|access-date=22 February 2021|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=23 May 2020|title=Ivanka Trump criticised in India for praising migrant’s hard journey home|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ivanka-trump-india-migrant-twitter-jyoti-kumari-a9529486.html|access-date=2 March 2021|website=The Independent|language=en}}</ref> Other well wishers and VIPs were outside her house when the story was published. The crowd was criticised for not following India's social distancing rules whilst giving her gifts.<ref>{{Citation|title=VIPs Throng 'Cycle Girl' Jyoti Kumari's House, Neglect Lockdown Rules {{!}} ABP News|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWc6P-6xn-I|language=en|access-date=27 February 2021}}</ref>

Even though there were several promises to help her attend school, Jyoti has still not been admitted into any secondary or higher secondary school.<ref name=niceref>{{Cite web|date=29 September 2020|title=Bihar Elections: Remember Cycle Girl Jyoti Kumari? She’s Still Hoping to Join School|url=https://www.newsclick.in/Bihar-Elections-Remember-Cycle-Girl-Jyoti-Kumari-She-Hoping-Join-School|access-date=2 March 2021|website=NewsClick|language=en}}</ref>

Kumari was conferred the 2021 [[Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar|Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Shakti Puraskar]] for bravery in the times of pandemic by the [[President of India]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Girl Who Carried Her Father 1,200 Km On Cycle Among Bal Puraskar Winners|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/bal-puraskar-jyoti-kumari-who-carried-father-1200-km-on-bicycle-gets-bal-puraskar-pm-modi-tweets-2357944|access-date=22 February 2021|website=NDTV.com}}</ref> Jyoti was invited to appear for cycling trials at the [[Cycling Federation of India|All India Cycling Federation]] because she was a plausible selection for the Indian cycling team.<ref>{{Cite news|date=26 May 2020|title=Watch {{!}} India's 'bicycle girl' Jyoti Kumari|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/indias-bicycle-girl-jyoti-kumari/article31677071.ece|access-date=22 February 2021|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'', in reports on Jyoti, referred to her as the "lionhearted girl… inspiring a nation".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Gettleman|first=Jeffrey|last2=Raj|first2=Suhasini|date=22 May 2020|title=‘Lionhearted’ Girl Bikes Dad Across India, Inspiring a Nation|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/22/world/asia/india-bicycle-girl-migrants.html|access-date=22 February 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Mihindukulasuriya|first=Regina|date=23 May 2020|title=Ivanka Trump, BBC, NYT hail Bihar migrant's cycling 'feat', but not all in India agree|url=https://theprint.in/india/ivanka-trump-bbc-nyt-hail-bihar-migrants-cycling-feat-but-not-all-in-india-agree/428042/|access-date=22 February 2021|website=ThePrint|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=nyt>{{Cite news|last=Engle|first=Jeremy|date=28 May 2020|title=Lesson of the Day: ‘"Lionhearted" Girl Bikes Dad Across India, Inspiring a Nation’|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/28/learning/lesson-of-the-day-lionhearted-girl-bikes-dad-across-india-inspiring-a-nation.html|access-date=22 February 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

== Film proposal ==
It was reported by ''[[India Today]]'' that Jyoti would play the lead role for a proposed [[Bollywood]] movie on her journey with her ailing father back home. The journey would be from [[Gurugram]] to [[Darbhanga]], but it would also include fictionalised incidents to develop the story.<ref>{{Cite web|date=1 July 2020|title=Jyoti Kumari, who cycled from Gurugram to Bihar village, to play lead in film based on her life|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/bollywood/story/jyoti-kumari-who-cycled-from-gurugram-to-bihar-village-to-play-lead-in-film-based-on-her-life-1695951-2020-07-01|access-date=22 February 2021|website=India Today|language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumari, Jyoti}}
[[Category:2000s births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Students in India]]
[[Category:People from Gurgaon]]
[[Category:Indian female cyclists]]

Jyoti Kumari - Revision history

WikiDwarf at 05:38, 8 December 2021