The Man Who Moved Mountains

Gehlour Hills was not the most favorable place to live. It represented one of the many places in India that were several miles away from other cities, which made it difficult for trade and hospitalization. One of the most difficult aspects of this particular place however, was that there was an enormous mountain, which separated all of the villagers from the nearest town. Travel took days if anyone was planning on scaling around the mountain to the other side, but there wasn't really much more that could be done. These kinds of situations are the norm in some places. If you live next to a mountain, you have to either climb it, which could be potentially fatal, or travel around it, which is highly impractical. It's not anyone’s fault that the landscape was unforgiving, it’s just how it was. When people first settled there, there wouldn't have been many other options that would have been geographically more pleasing. Bihar, (the name of the state where this is located,) is an Indo-Gangetic plain which means it is highly fertile ground. It would have been a very favorable place to be, aside from having to travel around the 70 km mountains to get to a hospital if needed. Traveling days to get to a doctor as you can imagine, would cause a lot of complications. People who had accidents, were never able to get emergency care when they needed it most, and many people had to stay in unfavorable situations for a while before the doctor could see them… That is, of course, if they lived long enough for the doctor to reach them.

One man, Dashrath Manjhi who was resident of the town, was unfortunately one of the few who had to witness the injustice of the mountains, firsthand when his wife slipped and seriously injured herself, which eventually led to her death. That night, he decided that he was going to make it his life goal to plow through the mountain and create a path that would make it easier for everyone to get through. He sold all of his family's goats to purchase simple tools such as a crowbar, sledge hammer, and a chisel. Then, he began hacking away at the massive rock, determined to create a road through the 300-foot mountain to the other side. People in the village thought he was mad because it would take him forever to get through without any help or any better tools. Everyone was certain that he was going to die well before he would ever finish. They said he was a poor man who needed to "earn and eat." The truth is, he did work to make wage already, plus found time to work on his main purpose. During the day, he spent his time clearing fields to earn a living for his family, and during the midafternoon into night, he was chipping away at the stones of the mountain. He worked into the late night and sometimes without rest. Most people thought he had lost his mind after he lost his wife, but others started supporting him. After his routine had gone on for a couple months, people began providing him with food and helped pay for replacement tools to help his cause.

Manjhi said, "when I started hammering the hill, people called me a lunatic, but that steeled my resolve.” Every negative thing that was said about him, became one more reason to keep his attention to the mountain. Months passed, then years, but he remained at work. Everyone said it would take him forever to carve out a path through the mountain and they were right. It took twenty-two diligent years of picking and hacking, and going through countless tools. After those twenty-two years passed, however, his work was finally over. In 1960, he started striking the side of the mountain to create a dent. By the end of 1982, he had a path which was 25 feet high, 30 feet wide, and a total of 360 feet in length. What would have been a seventy-mile walk around the mountain, was reduced to just 1 by walking through. He is now, forever remembered there as a hero to society, and one of the most dedicated people who saved thousands of lives. After 3 decades, his path continues to serve millions of people who pass through it. Manjhi, is an example of the expression, “when there is a will, there is a way.” When you have a purpose, the only thing left to do it follow it.

Just remember, as long as you know what you want out of life, you'll always get there if you are willing to try…It's just might take longer than you expected. Don't worry, it will happen eventually. Even if it didn’t happen exactly like you had hoped, it will still be worth it in the end.

Thank for reading and take care!