RANCHI: Help is pouring in for a poor tribal man from Jharkhand, who covered nearly 1,200 km on a rickety scooter to help his wife fulfill her dreams of becoming a school teacher.
Dhananjay Kumar Hembrom, 27, drove all the way from Godda to Gwalior, so that six months pregnant wife Soni Hembrom, 22, who is pursuing a diploma course in elementary education, could her write exams. It took the couple three days to complete the journey.
Soni had enrolled herself with MP Board of Secondary Education in 2019 as the fee there is much less than that in Jharkhand. Dhananjay, himself a non-matric, was working as a cook with a private company in Gujarat, and had to spend his entire savings of Rs 30, 000 to return home during lockdown. He is jobless.
When the exam dates were announced in September first week, Soni mortgaged whatever ornaments she had in order to arrange money for travel. But the couple learnt that it was not enough for a train or bus ticket. Undeterred, they finally set out on their scooter.
As a video of the couple was made viral by a local journalist after they reached Gwalior, helped started pouring in.
The Adani Foundation has arranged flight tickets for the couple from Gwalior to Ranchi via Hyderabad, while Gwalior DM Kaushlendra Vikram Singh has made all arrangements for their stay, besides giving them financial support of Rs 5,000.
Dhananjay added that the School Education Department has also given Rs 5,000.