Patna: There are journeys that begin with a confirmed ticket, and then there are those driven by a determination too strong to be held back. With train tickets hard to come by and airfares soaring to Rs 15,000–Rs 35,000 for a one-way journey, migrant workers are finding their own way home. This Chhath, autorickshaws, motorcycles and compact cars have turned into unlikely chariots, with thousands taking to the highways to reach their families and celebrate the festival of faith and togetherness.With Indian Railways’ tatkal tickets vanishing almost as soon as bookings open, many have chosen to bypass booking portals and take charge of their journeys. Leading this unusual homecoming parade are dozens of autorickshaws travelling from Delhi to Darbhanga, Madhubani and Saharsa. Covering 1,100 to 1,200 kilometres, the three-wheelers have turned heads on highways usually dominated by cars and buses.“Why beg an airline for a middle seat when you own a convertible with panoramic views?” joked Rameshwar Sahni, a Delhi-based auto driver leading a group of five green-and-yellow vehicles near Muzaffarpur. “We split the CNG and fuel costs, played Bhojpuri hits at full volume and stopped wherever the chai looked promising. The airlines wanted my two months’ earnings; I spent half of that and brought my whole neighbourhood along.”For a 25-year-old auto driver from Bengaluru, the journey was a family decision. After observing Chhath in the city for three years, his family decided to celebrate the festival at their village home in Banka district.“When we could not get confirmed train tickets from Bengaluru to Patna, I applied my ‘Bihari’ mind and imagined my three-wheeler as an aeroplane before beginning the journey to our homeland. The four members of my family reached home in four days, and the total expenditure on petrol and CNG was just Rs 8,000,” he said in a social media video.The motorcycle brigade has been equally determined. Two riders from Bengaluru covered more than 2,100 kilometres on a 150cc commuter motorcycle to reach Motihari. Their four-day journey involved long hours on highways, roadside meals and considerable physical discomfort, but the homecoming made it worthwhile.“When the train waitlist hit 400, my bike looked at me and said, ‘Let’s go,’” laughed Sanjay Kumar, who began his journey in Bengaluru. “My wife thought I had lost my mind, but when I rolled into the village with bags of puja fruits intact, I became a local celebrity. Even the village elders asked for my mileage.”Similar journeys are unfolding across the country. From Mumbai to Madhubani, Pune to Patna, Ludhiana to Lakhisarai, and Surat to Sasaram, migrant workers are driving home in packed cars and motorcycles. Friends and relatives are pooling fuel costs, sharing driving duties and carrying food such as litti-chokha to make the long journeys manageable.Manohar Yadav, who drove his compact car with four friends to Bhojpur, summed up the frustration behind their decision. “In Surat, the Tatkal booking window opens at 10am and closes at 10.00.02am. We packed our bags, pooled our petrol money and drove straight home,” he said.Videos and reels of these journeys are going viral on social media, with travellers documenting their road trips and keeping friends and relatives updated. Beyond the humour and adventure, however, lies a deeper emotion.For these migrant workers, Chhath is about returning to familiar riverbanks, observing rituals with family, preparing prasad and offering arghya to the setting and rising Sun. It is a connection with their roots that distance and rising travel costs cannot weaken.After hundreds, sometimes thousands, of kilometres on the road, the reward is simple: being home in time for Chhath.
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