Chandrapur (Maharashtra): This is one migrant computer operator who earned laurels of the people and police alike after he walked down nearly 750 km from Panvel in Raigad to a warm welcome in his native village Ghugus in Chandrapur, a distance of 900 km covered showing human courage at its height.
For Ajay Banduji Satorkar, 32, the foot journey started at 5 a.m. on April 2 at the height of Lockdown 1.0 and ended in his village on April 16 in Lockdown 2.0.
And after walking on the treacherous roads without a break for 15 days, he walked straight into the safety of 14 days' quarantine!
Like many other migrants in the country, Satorkar - employed as a computer operator with a private university - was stuck in a room, usually shared with some others, but all had deserted after the lockdown was announced on March 24 in the state and nationwide on March 25.
"He had only Rs.300 cash, but a lot of confidence and a burning desire to reach home and reunite with his family at any cost. Without a thought, he packed his few belongings and left Panvel at 5 am on April 2," a relative told Media.
The walkathon was tiring and but adventurous, his legs briskly gobbling up kilometres daily, ranging from the cool hills in the Sahyadri Ranges of western Maharashtra to the scorching plains in Marathwada, bathing and wading through streams or crossing major rivers with some local help, and finally sighting the familiar breezy forests of his home terrain in Chandrapur.
"It was a tough challenge, For the most part, I walked alone. On some stretches, totalling to around 150 kms, I got lifts by local vehicles which were some relief," the road-battered Satorkar told excited local media persons on Thursday morning outside his village.
The 900-km journey was him traversing at least 9 districts - including some 150 km rides on motorcycles, trucks, ambulance and police vans -starting from Raigad to Pune, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Jalna, Buldhana, Washim, Yavatmal and finally to his home village in Chandrapur.
Avoiding the roads at night, he walked 18 hours and spent his first night outside a shop in Pune, again on his feet at 8 am, he walked 20 kms to get a lift on a motorcycle for 40 kms.
At one location, some NGOs were distributing food and he joined the queue, ate and then walked down to Ahmednagar where he spent the night on the steps of a Lord Hanuman temple.
Outside Koregaon-Bhima village, a poor but kindly family offered Satorkar a meal of dry chapatis and pickle. As he thanked and prepared to leave, he met another migrant and they both spent the night there.