Dashrath Manjhi – The Mountain Man

Dashrath Manjhi (1929 – 17/08/2007), was also known as – the Mountain Man.

He was a laborer at Gehlaur village, near Gaya in Bihar, India.

Dashrath Manjhi was born in a Musahar family, at the lowest rung of the caste system.

He ran away from his home at a young age because of a village feud and worked at Dhanbad’s coal mines.

He then returned to his village and married a girl named Falguni Devi.

There was a huge rocky mountain close to his village that people had either to climb across or travel around to gain access to medical care at the nearest town Wazirganj.

Unfortunately, Falguni Devi died after an accident since she did not receive immediate medical care, as there were no nearby hospitals.

Dashrath’s love for his spouse led him thinking that no one else should suffer this fate. He resolved to build the road to make his village more accessible.

Dashrath Manjhi – The Mountain Man

Manjhi felt that he needed to do something for the society and decided to carve a path through the Gehlour hills so that the villagers could have easier access to medical care.

He carved a path 110 m long (360 ft), 9.1 m (30 ft) wide and 7.6 m (25 ft) deep through a hillock using only a hammer and chisel to form the road through the rocks in Gehlour hill.

He completed the work in 22 years (1960–1982). This path had lessened the distance between the Atri and Wazirganj sectors of the Gaya district from 55 km to 15 km.

Though he was teased for his efforts, His work has made life easier for the Gehlaur villagers.

Later, Dashrath Manjhi said, “Though most villagers mocked me at first, there were quite a few who lent me support later by giving me food and helping me buy my tools.”

Dashrath Manjhi died on 17 August 2007.

52 years following he started breaking the mountain, 30 years later he finished and 4 years after his death the government, in the end, made a metalled road to Gehlaur in 2011.

He fought with the Indian govt. for the development of their village and for the availability of hospitals and roads.

Conclusion: In life, anything is possible, if we are stubborn and give 100% effort to achieve your goals.

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