NEW DELHI: Razia Begum had never ridden a scooter for more than 20 kilometers in her life. On April 6, however, she threw caution to the wind and set out on a journey of more than 1,400 km to bring back her son who was stranded in a remote village due to a lockdown in India.
“I kept on riding, stopping for some time to eat whatever I had packed with me,” the 48-year-old woman told Arab News. “I was not aware of the route and at many places I had to use Google maps or ask for directions, but I kept going.”
Begum, who lives in the Nizamabad district of the south Indian state of Telangana, said her ordeal began on March 22, two days before India imposed a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus in the country.
The curfew left her second son Mohammed Nizamuddin stuck in Rahmatabad, in the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh, nearly 700 kilometres from Begum’s home.
He had accompanied his friend to Rahmatabad to meet his ailing father before the state government announced the lockdown, and he got stranded.
Restless and desperate to ensure 19-year-old Mohammed was home safe, Begum began her journey on April 6, travelling the entire day and night before reaching Rahmatabad the next morning.
She returned with him the next day.
“I could not believe she had come so far to fetch me,” the aspiring doctor told Arab News. “She is a brave lady. Life has toughened her. She is caring, not only toward her children but all those who need any kind of support.”
The epic journey came as no surprise for residents of Bodhan village where Begum – who is a headmistress at the local school – is known for her feisty nature and social work.
“My experience in social services has toughened me as a woman. I lost my husband 15 years ago and this has also made me independent. I put aside many apprehensions and my sole concern was how to rescue my son from that remote village. I felt my son would be safe at home rather than anywhere else,” she said.
Begum said she first sought permission from the local police station to drive to her destination, recalling the behind-the-scenes effort that went into her journey, but eventually settled on the scooter.
“If I’d taken the car, some extra person would have joined in and it would have created problems if the police objected to us travelling in a group during the lockdown,” Begum said, adding that she did not tell anyone about her decision to travel alone apart from her family.
“Nobody would have allowed it,” she said, referring to the conservative nature of her village. She could have sent her eldest son to bring Mohammad back but chose not to.
“With boys, police are tough, therefore I thought that as a woman I could navigate easily and convince police on the way.”
The incident has earned her accolades not just in her family but the entire village, with several residents commending the “braveheart.”
Begum said she was no hero, just a regular mother who followed her instincts.
“Women can do anything they set their minds to. Despite the deep discomfort and long journey, it was my love for my son that kept me going. I would repeat it all in a heartbeat.”
