The news of a 15-year-old girl Jyoti Kumari taking her injured father to home in Bihar's Darbhanga -- 1,200 km from Gurugram -- on a bicycle during the coronavirus lockdown, has impressed US President Donald Trump's daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump.
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Praising Jyoti, Ivanka on Friday shared the news on Twitter and wrote the "beautiful feat of endurance and love has captured the imagination of the Indian people and the cycling federation".
But, her tweet failed to impressed self-respecting Indians, who slammed her for "glorifying" the "horrific experience" of a teenager.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah and Congress MP Karti Chidambaram also joined their fellow Indians to chide Ivanka.
Replying to Ivanka's tweet, Abdullah wrote: "Her poverty and desperation are being glorified as if Jyoti rode 1,200 km for the thrill of it. Government failed her, that's hardly something to trumpet as an achievement."
Her poverty & desperation are being glorified as if Jyoti cycled 1,200 KM for the thrill of it. Government failed her, thats hardly something to trumpet as an achievement . https://t.co/i33ImFm0fr
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) May 22, 2020
Chidambaram, tagging Indian Prime Minister Narender Modi and Bhartiya Janata Party, wrote: "This is not a feat of excellence. It’s a feat fuelled by desperation caused due to the callous attitude of the @BJP4India government headed your “friend” and “host” @narendramodi".
Her poverty & desperation are being glorified as if Jyoti cycled 1,200 KM for the thrill of it. Government failed her, thats hardly something to trumpet as an achievement . https://t.co/i33ImFm0fr
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) May 22, 2020
Here are some more reactions:
Fixed it ðÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ
15 yr old Jyoti Kumari, carried her wounded father to their home on the back of her bicycle covering +1,200 km over 7 days.
This ugly DEfeat due to poverty & government's failure has had every true Indian's head hang in shame.
ðÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂNo wonder, you have failed to MAGA!
— Saahil Murli Menghani (@saahilmenghani) May 22, 2020
Are you seriously this clueless? This kid and her family had to go through this horrific experience because of India's ill-conceived total lockdown which has resulted in a humanitarian disaster, not because she's aspiring to be a professional cyclist.
— Rupa Subramanya (@rupasubramanya) May 22, 2020
Never seen a more apt depiction of what exactly is poverty porn. Shame on you.
— Sanjukta Basu (@sanjukta) May 22, 2020
*Minor girl had to take father in extremely hot summer where we won't allow own kid to walk a mile, she covers 700 miles & we praise resilience of poor
— Shams Ur Rehman Alavi ش٠س (@indscribe) May 22, 2020
*A superhuman act, no one should be forced to do it. Passed through dozens of districts, no admin-officer came to help, shame
Stop romanticizing the tragedy pic.twitter.com/GTpCp9eawI
— Irfan (@Iam_SyedIrfan) May 22, 2020
Jyoti and her father lived in Gurugram in Haryana. Her father Mohan Paswan was injured in an accident during the lockdown, leaving him unable to go home. Following this, on May 10, Jyoti left along with her father from Gurugram on a bicycle for Darbhanga. She arrived home on May 16.
People were stunned to learn about the plight, as well as courage displayed by Jyoti.
Earlier, the Cycling Federation of India (CFI) said that it will invite Kumari, a class eight student, for a trial next month.
CFI chairman Onkar Singh told PTI that if Kumari passed the trial, she will be selected as a trainee at the state-of-the-art National Cycling Academy at the IGI Stadium complex in Delhi.
"We spoke to the girl this morning and we have told her that she will be called to Delhi next month as soon as the lockdown is lifted. All the expenses of her travel, lodging and other will be borne by us," Singh said.
"If she needs to accompany somebody from home, we will also allow that. We will see in consultation with our Bihar state unit on how she can be brought to Delhi for a trial," he added.
The buzz is a reminder of the hype that Kambala racer Srinivasa Gowda generated with a sensational run in a local race, which prompted comparisons with Usain Bolt in social media and an invitation from sports minister Kiren Rijiju to appear for trials.
Gowda, however, declined the offer, acknowledging the difference between his craft and competitive running at the highest level.
(With inputs from agencies)
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