“Had we not left from there on foot, a couple of us would have died of starvation.”

Agony and helplessness were perceptible in the words of Mahendra Majhi, 30, who was walking on the National Highway-19 at 2 PM. He was carrying a small bag. Mahendra, along with 25-30 others, started walking from Jaipur 10-12 days back. They are on their way to Gaya, which is 1,200 kms away.

The suffering of Mahendra’s words can be felt by millions of labourers who are walking on the highways since the lockdown. Despite all the arrangements made by the government, why were these labourers forced to walk hundreds of kilometres?

Despite every announcements and assurance from the central and state governments, these labourers were not feeling safe in the cities where they were had worked for decades. Gaon Connection spoke to some labourers who had travelled a distance of 500 kms on NH-19 and had reached the Kanpur dehat district. These labourers pointed out several reasons for their walking for more than a thousand kilometres to reach their villages.

“We need not worry about food in the village. It had become difficult to pass those 40 days in Jaipur. When our pockets had emptied, we set out on foot. What would have we done there? The landlord was asking for the rent that we were not able to give so we had to vacate the rented accommodation. For how long could we have queued up for food?” said Mahendra Manjhi.

Mahendra is originally from the Gaya district of Bihar. A daily wager in Jaipur city of Rajasthan for many years, Mahendra was currently walking on the highway braving the sun blaze, and protecting his face with a plain gamcha.

All these were the daily wage labourers who had migrated from Bihar several years ago in order to make a living in Jaipur. During the countrywide lockdown, their pockets had been emptied so on the way if someone feeds them, they stop to fill their stomachs, otherwise they continue to walk on an empty stomach for 15-18 hours.

“There was a little money that lasted us for 30-40 days and that we had spent on food. The landlord had us vacate the house. There was not a single penny left on us so left with no alternative we set out on foot,” Mahendra said.

When Gaon Connection inquired him the reason for his walking on foot despite the government arranging buses and trains for safely transporting them to their destination, Mahendra said: “I had done the registration a week ago. A week later, when I had been to the railway station, I was told that I’d receive a message on my mobile when my turn would come. By when would I receive that message, I didn’t know. It was getting increasingly difficult to live through each day. Tell me what could have I done then?”

Mahendra’s question was yet another plausible reason for walking. Under the scorching sun of May, hundreds of labourers could be seen moving towards their homes on NH-19 in Kanpur Dehat district. Mahendra was a part of the same crowd. A woman clasping her infant or someone with a small bag over one’s head — everyone was struggling in order to reach home with empty pockets and without food.

Mahendra and his companions were constantly marching ahead with longer strides without stopping. When we had requested him to pause beneath the shade of some tree in order to talk, Mahendra said: “We cannot stop for talking. I am with the group that has marched ahead already. If I’d stay back to talk, I’d lag far behind.”

There were 10 other people with Mahendra. We talked for about a kilometre on the move.

What was the problem in Jaipur that forced you to walk more than a thousand kilometres?

Tying up his gamcha around his waist, a visibly tired Mahendra began narrating his woes. “There were a lot of people distributing food for the first few days of the lockdown. Some people were also given dry ration. We had a little bit of money which lasted us for a month. As the lockdown extended, our ration was exhausted. When I had started walking, getting even two meals a day had become problematic. What do you do if you don’t walk away on foot in such a situation?” he asked.

There has been a state of uncertainty among millions of migrant labourers like Mahendra after the announcement of the lockdown across the country due to the coronavirus infection. For about past two months, lakhs of labourers have taken to the road to get to their homes due to closed workplaces, the fear of starvation, the ever-extending lockdown.

In many reports, it was called the largest reverse migration of independent India (returning to homes). The exodus of labourers had actually begun as early as the Junta Curfew, but the governments failed to convince labourers of adequate provision of food.

How long since you’ve not eaten food? Mithilesh Majhi, 24, who was walking along with Mahendra replied: “Some time back, some villagers fed us poori-bhaji in a government school. Someone offers us biscuits on the way, someone else drinking water. We have survived 10-12 days on the road in this way. We shall reach home in about a week.”

Do you think your problems will end after we reach our village? Mithilesh replied, “Whether the difficulties would be over or not, we can say that we will certainly not die hungry. I have a few fields in the village and I will sell the vegetable that I would grow there or else would find some other work.”

Labourers and workers from several states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh go to work in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru as well as Haryana, Punjab, and several states of South India. Since the lockdown, lakhs of labourers from these states have returned to their homes, those who are still on their way are now seen suffering from heat and starvation. Many of these labourers have already succumbed to death before their arrival at home, but this has not dimmed out others’ resolve.

There are so many incidents happening on the way, yet you are walking on foot, you should have instead stayed put. Awdhesh Kumar, 28, responded, “There is no money left in my pocket. Better than dying in another state is to die in one’s own village. No one knows when the lockdown will open. What would we have done sitting idle in another city? We are not fond of walking in this afternoon, but what do we do? The government did not assure us any food provision till we were to be provided means to return home.”