PATNA: There’s no obstacle or challenge in life that the human spirit cannot conquer. A dozen-odd men from Bihar’s Begusarai district showed such spirit when they refused to let the loss of livelihood and the spectre of an uncertain future bog them down and instead decided to go ‘Atmanirbhar’.
Like other migrants, they also were forced to return to their village, Kalyanpur, when the lockdown was imposed. But they chose to make a fresh start once the restrictions started being eased. Refusing to go back to the heartless cities that had turned them away in their worst hours of crisis, they opened ‘Atmanirbhar’ stalls in the village itself.
“A year is to be completed of the lockdown. But we have not forgotten till what we had faced. Now, we will not go outside the state and have decided to become self-reliant,” said Rohan Kumar. Niraj Kumar Singh has set up an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat tea stall while Uma Kumar has opened a grocery store.
Tipu Singh, Budhan Sah, Subhash Singh, Govind Kumar, Praksh Kumar, all aged between 35 and 45, have also refused to return to other states for livelihood. Having learnt their lessons, these men say they find self-employment the best option.
Dipak Kumar, a daily wager in Punjab earlier, now runs an outlet for eggs and snacks while Rajaram Saha, who used to sell vegetables in Delhi, has now become ‘Atmanirbhar sabji vikreta (vegetable seller) in Kalyanpur block.