Dashrath Manjhi, commonly known as the Mountain man, is a story about a strong determined man who proved that nothing is impossible to accomplish. His life gives an exemplary lesson that a small and underprivileged man, who has no money and no power can challenge any obstacle be it a mountain.
About Past life-
Dashrath Manjhi was born 14th January 1929,into a poor family, at the lowest notch of India’s caste system. He was married off in his childhood but He ran away from his home at a very young age and started working in the coal mines at Dhanbad. After seven years, he returned to the village of Gehlaur a small village in Bihar, India, he became an agricultural labourer. There he fell in love with a village girl Falguni Devi. To his amazement, that girl turned out to be his childhood bride. But the bride’s father refused to send Falguni Devi with Dashrath, as he was jobless. But later on, both of them eloped and ran away. They started living together. Manjhi worked in a nearby field for their living.
The tragedy-
Gehlaur was a very backward village with no development. Like all other Poor villagers, Manjhi has to travel through a narrow and hazardous pass to cross a huge mountain, located between Atri and Wazirgunj region in Gaya district, for daily wants and work.
One day, Falguni, who was pregnant, was taking lunch for her husband who was working in the fields. She had got to climb the mountain inblistering heat. Unfortunately, Falguni slipped and fell down from the mountain and was injured badly. While Dashrath was waiting for the food when someone from the village informed Dashrath about the accident of his wife. Dashrath ran into shock and took her blood-splattered wife to the nearest town that was about 60 km away. she gave birth to a baby girl but scummed to her injuries.
The resolution-
Manjhi was shattered and heart broken. He started cursing the mighty mountain for his wife died and decided to take revenge by carving out a new roadway through the ridge of hills in order to make the village more accessible to the town.
A determined Manjhi took a hammer and a chisel and undertook on a tough and nearlyan impossible mission, to carve out a roadway, so that no other individual suffers like her wife. He resolved that none of his village People should die like his wife and have easier access to medical help.
Everyone thought that the man had lost his sense. It was an impossible task to carve a road by use of a hammer and chisel. When he started hammering the hill, most people mocked him, called him a lunatic but he was clear his objective. Even his father taunted him for challenging an enormous mountain. But Manjhi was persistent on his strict decision.
There were few who also helped him by giving him food and tools. Year’s passedbut there was nothing which could stop Manjhi herculean task. His two children was looked after by old father.
Ultimately his sheer determination and hard work paid. Manjhi came out carving a 110m long way, completing it in 22 years, using just a hammer and a chisel.
The pathcurtailed the distance between Atri and Wazirganj localities of the Gaya district from 55km to about 15 km.
Work Recognition
Dashrath Manjhi’s work made life simpler for people of the Gehlaur village. He single-handedly made out a 360-feet-long, 30-feet-wide and 30-feet-high passage through the mountain. Manjhi’s social work got recognition and later on was rewarded by Chief Minister of Bihar. Later in 2007 he was diagnosed with cancer was admitted at AIIMs New Delhi, but died on 17 August 2007.He was bestowed a state funeral by the Government of Bihar. He is survived by his son and daughter.
In the year 2016, Indian Post office issued a postage stamp on him. He was a legend by himself and his life inks a moral lessen for everyone. Nothing is impossible.
