70-year-old man pedals van for 600 km for wife’s treatment: ‘Wife, van are 2 loves of my life’

Babu Lohar, a van puller from Sambalpur, pedalled around 30 km a day, stopping near roadside shops at night. (AI-generated image)

A 70-year-old man from Odisha has captured national attention after pedalling a rickshaw van for nearly 600 km to ensure his ailing wife received medical treatment, the Times of India reported.

Identified as Babu Lohar, the rickshaw puller from Sambalpur began the journey after failing to raise enough money to hire an ambulance. His wife, Jyoti, suffered a paralytic stroke in November last year, and local health workers referred her to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. With no other option, Lohar placed old cushions on his rickshaw van, laid his wife on them, and began the journey.

According to the publication, Lohar pedalled around 30 km a day, stopping near roadside shops at night. It took him nine days to reach Cuttack. After nearly two months of treatment, the couple began their return journey on January 19, again on the same rickshaw van. On the way back, a vehicle brushed against the rickshaw near Choudwar, causing Jyoti to fall and injure her head. Lohar took her to the Tangi community health centre, where staff provided food and allowed them to rest overnight before they resumed the journey the next day.

Tangi police station in-charge Bikash Sethi spotted the couple and offered to arrange a vehicle, but Lohar refused help, insisting he could manage. “His determination and emotional attachment are deeply moving,” Sethi told the Times of India, adding that Lohar eventually accepted some cash for food.

The journey has highlighted both the gaps in rural healthcare access and the elderly man’s unwavering devotion to his wife, sparking conversations online about the hardships faced by the poor during medical emergencies.

"This is a powerful testament to love and resilience. It sheds light on the critical need for accessible healthcare and transport in underserved communities. Thank you for sharing this inspiring story," commented an X user. "I really doubt if governance continues this way, then how will poor people survive. There is literally a big crisis happening with poor people, and no government wishes to solve it," added another.