The nationwide lockdown to prevent further spread of the novel coronavirus has affected India's lower strata of society more than anyone else. One can only imagine the hardship being faced by the elderly who are part of India's financially backward. The story of 65-year-old Arivazhagan is one such example of how old age and poverty can make life extremely difficult in such a time of crisis.

A daily wage labourer from Kumbakonam district in Tamil Nadu, Arivazhagan peddled 130 km on his bicycle with his wife Manjula to reach a hospital in Puducherry. Aged 60, Manjula is a cancer patient and the couple was unable to find transportation to the hospital owing to the lockdown.

On March 31, Arivazhagan pedalled his bicycle from his village to JIPMER hospital with Manjula riding pillion. To ensure that she does not fall off the bicycle, Arivazhagan used a rope to bind Manjula with himself. The couple began their journey at 4:45 am and reached their destination at around 10:15 pm, taking only a single break for two hours along the way.

Upon their arrival, Arivazhagan and Manjula were disheartened to see that the outpatient department (OPD) and the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) of the hospital were closed as part of the Covid-19 lockdown. However, hospital officials who heard the couple's ordeal decided to help them out and ensured that Manjula's chemotherapy sessions were conducted as required.

"We reached on March 30, and she was given her treatment on the same day. After her treatment, the doctors helped us return home. They pooled money and arranged an ambulance, and even gave us enough medicines to last a month," Arivazhagan told India Today.

Doctors at the JIPMER hospital actually collected a total of Rs 6,300 for an ambulance to help the couple return home. They even gave Arivazhagan some extra money for expenses along the way.

The couple will now return to the hospital once the lockdown subsides, however, Arivazhagan said that the doctors have asked him to contact them in case of any emergency and they will send an ambulance. Looking back at his arduous journey, the 65-year-old daily wage labourer who has been saving for years to ensure that his wife gets the best treatment said he still finds it hard to believe how he managed to complete the 130 km long journey on a bicycle.