Seven days, 1,100km. Not by car but on a cycle.

Reports of astonishing attempts to escape the lockdown have been coming in from across the country, but Ashok Behera’s story would surely rank among the most audacious.

The 36-year-old mason from Odisha cycled all the way home to Ganjam district on Tuesday, seven days after they had started from Chennai, his wife Namita riding pillion.

It was a test of endurance not only for the couple but also for their four-year-old cycle. Both — the riders and their mount — passed the gruelling exam.

Countless others, who would always remain anonymous, also passed a test — of charity and compassion.“Villagers invariably gave us food and water when we ran out of stock. A hotel owner in Vijayawada treated us to a sumptuous dinner and allowed us to sleep there for four hours,” said Kanehi Behera, who was part of the group that left the Tamil Nadu capital with Ashok and Namita.

Desperate situations bring out desperate responses. In another daring effort to beat the lockdown earlier this month, another group of 27 migrant workers from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh had sailed 1,080km from Chennai to the Odisha-Andhra border, spending five nights in the open sea in their boat.

Ashok and his wife, a day labourer, had decided to hit the road on their cycle after both lost their jobs in the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown.

“We had been to Chennai many times earlier. This time we reached the city in the first week of March and got work with a construction company in Central Chennai. But we found ourselves jobless suddenly because of the lockdown. We were also scared as Covid-19 cases were being reported in the city,” Ashok said from his quarantine centre after reaching Ganjam on April 21.

Tamil Nadu has reported over 1,600 cases so far.

“We didn’t know what to do. All transport was shut. We had thought the lockdown would be lifted on April 14 but that didn’t happen.”

What made up their mind, however, was an argument the couple had on April 14.

The two have a son, Santosh, 10, and a daughter, Priyanka, 7, but the children had not accompanied their parents to Chennai and lived in their village in Ganjam.

“Namita insisted we leave for Odisha immediately as she was dying to see the kids. Her tears moved me. Ours was an inter-caste love marriage. I know she had fought with her family to marry me. I couldn’t hurt her,” Ashok said.

He then spoke to his friends from his village, Sorola, in Ganjam’s Chikiti block, who also worked in Chennai and they formed a group of seven. “We started the bicycle journey at 3pm on April 14. Namita and I had curd rice with potatoes for lunch. We carried a few packets of biscuits, flattened rice, sugar and water bottles. We wore masks and journeyed with the help of road signboards and milestones.”

The group reached the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border late on April 14. “On the way, we saw hordes of migrant labourers moving on foot. My husband was sweating with exhaustion. We had chuda (flattened rice) and sugar for dinner and rested a while. At 4am the next day we resumed our journey,” Namita said.

In Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, the group was stopped by police. “It was difficult to communicate with them in Telugu. We tried to convince them that we were labourers and fleeing Chennai because of the fear of the virus. We started crying and they let us move on,” she said.

At another place, they got into an argument with two constables. “We took another route and crossed the city. We were stropped many times at police checkpoints. At Vijayawada, the police stopped us again. But when they heard us out, they gave us rice and sambar and also sketched a road map for us. Many others helped us stay on the right track,” Ashok recalled.

Not once during the seven-day journey, he said, did the group face any major harassment from the police.

But the journey itself must have been punishing.

Of course, yes, said Kanehi, Ashok’s friend from Ganjam.

It was especially tough when they passed through hilly terrain. “Riding a bicycle with someone sitting pillion is extremely difficult in such regions but Ashok never complained. During the entire journey he never once allowed his wife to walk,” Kanehi said.

Namita nodded. “When I insisted on walking, he would smile and shake his head,” she said. “He would get angry if I insisted too much. So I obeyed. I just kept praying that the bicycle did not break down.”

The group reached the Odisha border around 11am on April 21. “When we entered Odisha we sighed with relief, thanked Lord Jagannath and lay down on the road for some time,” Namita said.

The group then proceeded towards their village and reached in just three hours. “Since we didn’t want to put anyone at risk, we also informed government officials through the villagers. Now we are in a quarantine centre near our village. I have seen my two kids from a distance. They are living with my sister and mother,” Namita said.

“We have only Rs 500 left with us and will request the government for financial assistance.”

Loknath Pati, a local panchayat official, confirmed that the group had been quarantined. “After they reached Sorola, we examined all their documents and then put them in quarantine. They will be allowed to leave the place only after May 3.”

The extended lockdown is scheduled to end the same day.