Tribal couple Dhananjay Kumar Hansda (27) and his wife Sony Hembrom (22) were elated upon landing at the Birsa Munda Airport after their maiden flight from Gwalior to Ranchi on Wednesday afternoon. The couple who had made headlines earlier this month by travelling from Godda to Gwalior on a rickety scooter was offered flight tickets to return home by the Adani Foundation under their CSR fund.
Kumar along with his seven- month pregnant wife had started their journey on a two- wheeler on August 28 and reached Gwalior of the afternoon of August 30 covering a distance of approximately 1200 kms so that the latter could appear for her Diploma in Elementary Education (D.Ed) exams from September 1 to September 11 and fulfill her dreams of becoming a teacher. Halting a night each at Muzzaffarpur and Lucknow, the two reached their destination about 36 hours before the scheduled exam.
“Before boarding the air travel both my wife and I were very scared on how the journey will turn out to be. All through the flight we had mixed feelings but were also very happy to be taking our unborn child on an airplane. This is the first time we have travelled by air and it has been a dream come true for both of us,” said Kumar.
Echoing similar thoughts, Hembrom too said that she was very apprehensive before fight took off. “All through the procedure of check in and security, we were scared but also excited. Once the flight was airborne we kept looking out of the window and noticed how small the world seems from up there. It was amazing to be amongst the clouds. We are extremely thankful to Adani Foundation for arranging our return journey.”
Since there are no direct flights from Gwalior to Ranchi, the two flew to the State capital via Hyderabad. For the rest of the journey, Adani Foundation had also made arrangements of a comfortable car ride from the airport to Godda along with some refreshments.
The Foundation has also made arrangements to send the scooter back to their hometown.
“Dr Priti Adani thanked the local and social media for raising such an issue. When she realized that the lady is pregnant and is also willing to study further, she came up and supported the cause. We were also instructed to ensure a comfortable return journey for them and an Innova car was hired for the same. We wish them success for the exams and a bright future ahead,” said Subodh Kumar Singh, Unit CSR Head, Adani Foundation, Godda.
Owing to the lockdown, Kumar who used to work as cook with a private firm in Gujarat lost his job.
Before deciding to undertake the scooter- ride, the duo had also mortgaged whatever jewellery they had and managed to raise Rs 10,000 which was not enough for train or bus tickets.
“Since I have only studied till class IX, I did not want my wife to lose this opportunity and decided to undertake this journey. All through the ride to Gwalior, I was worried about her health and she even developed a slight fever enroute but all is well now. We shall always be thankful to Adani Foundation for giving us the flight tickets,” added Kumar.
