Mom rides 1,400 km amidst lockdown to bring son back

At a time when people’s moment within their neighbourhoods has curtailed due to coronavirus induced lockdown, a burka-clad woman from Telangana rode 1,400 km on her scooty to bring back her son stuck in Andhra Pradesh.

Braving all the odds, the school teacher from Bodhan town travelled on the two-wheeler to Nellore district and brought her son back.

Razia Begum had to embark on the arduous journey as her son Mohammed Nizamuddin was stuck in Rehmatabad in Nellore district for nearly two weeks.

Nizamuddin, a student of Intermediate Second Year (12th standard) at a private college in Hyderabad, had gone to Rehmatabad along with his friend after their annual exams. He, however, was stranded there due to suspension of all public transport and imposition of lockdown.

Worried over the wellbeing of her son, Razia Begum decided to undertake the long journey to bring him back. Razia, who serves as headmistress at a primary school, approached Assistant Commissioner of Police V. Jayapal Reddy and obtained a permission letter from him.

She left for Rehmatabad on the morning of April 6. Though she was stopped by the police at many barricades and checkposts, she produced ACP’s letter and persuaded the police officers to allow her to continue the journey.

Someone who had never stepped out of the town on scooty, she succeeded reaching Rehmatabad the next day with the help of Google maps and locals along 700-km.

“I stopped at the checkposts to take some break and then continued my journey,” said the woman, who has two sons and a daughter.

She picked up her son and left for Bodhan on the evening of April 7 and reached home the next day. The distance was long but the concern and love for her son made the task easy. “If you have the determination you can achieve anything,” she said.