There are many of us in this country Most of us live in rural area while many in urban slums. Every day, millions of our fellow countrymen struggle against the odds to eke out a life of dignity. The others: we’re still searching for answers, thinking up solutions to hurdles to make life better for our fellow citizens.
This is the story of a man who did not think, but act. He was among India’s poorest of poor. He decided, if those in power would not help his people, he would. This is a man who wanted to “Do-It-Himself”. Then, without pausing for a thought, he went ahead and did just that with his bare hands. This is the story of Dashrath Manjhi: the man who moved a mountain, so his people could reach a doctor in time. Wow what a feet
It was 1960. Landless labourers, the Musahars, lived amid rocky terrain in the remote Atri block of Gaya, Bihar in northern India. In the hamlet of Gehlour, they were regarded the lowest of the low in a caste-ridden society, and denied the basics: water supply, electricity, a school and a medical centre. A 300-feet high mountain loomed between them and civilisation.
Like all the Musahar men, Manjhi worked on the other side of the mountain. At noon, his wife Phaguni would bring his lunch. As they had no road, the trek took hours over the mountain. Manjhi tilled fields for a landlord on the other side. He would quarry stone and in a few hours would be tired and hungry.
Manjhi would watch and wait for Phaguni. That day, she would come to him empty handed, injured. As the harsh sun beat down, Phaguni tripped on loose rock. Her water pot shattered. She slid down several feet, injuring her leg. Hours past noon, she limped to her husband. Manjhirushed to chastise her for being late,but on seeing her tears, he made a decision..... we have to take some seruise decisions in our life for a better future.
Manjhi sold his goats to buy a hammer, chisel and crowbar. He climbed to the top and started chipping away at the mountain. Years later, he would recount, “That mountain had shattered so many pots; claimed lives. I could not bear that it hurt my wife. If it took all my life now, I would carve us a road through the mountain.”
Word spread. Chipping at the mountain, he quit his wage job. His family often went without food. Then, Phaguni fell ill. The doctor was in Wazirganj, 75 kilometres over the mountain. Unable to make the journey, she died. Her death only spurred him on.
It was not easy. Unyielding, the mountain would cascade rocks at him. Hurt, he would rest and start again. At times, he helped people carry their things over the mountain for a small fee- money to feed his children. After 10 years, as Manjhi chipped away, people saw a cleft in the mountain; some came to help. In 1982, Gehlour was in for a surprise
Manjhi broke through a thin wall of rock and walked out into an open space. After 22 years, Dashrath Das Manjhi, the outcast landless labourer had conquered the mountain: he had carved out a road 360 feet long, 30 feet wide. Wazirganj, with its doctors, jobs and school, was now only 5 kilometres away. People from 60 villages in Atri could use his road. Children had to walk only 3 kilometres to reach school. Grateful, they began to call him ‘Baba’, the revered man.
But,Manjhi did not stop there. He began knocking on doors, asking for the road to be tarred and connected to the main road. He walked along the railway line all the way to New Delhi-the capital- collecting signatures of station masters in a book. He submitted a petition for his road, a hospital for his people, a school and water. In July 2006
And died in 2007 after a battle with cancer ......this is a story for everyone no matter how hard life looks we should buckle up and take the chisle and work on our life, country our loved ones and every good things that matter to us in our personal life there is struggle in our academics, office,family all things that makes our life worth living we must see mountains, so it is left for us to take up our chisle and till out the mountains..........#do_it_yourself
Some of the pictures :
