Using only a hammer and chisel, Dashrath Manjhi, a landless farmer, carved a path through a mountain in the Gehlour Hills, Bihar just so that his village could have easier access to medical facilities. Directed by Ketan Mehta, Manjhi - The Mountain Man, is an upcoming documentary on the life of this man.
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| Dashrath Manjhi |
- The villagers had to travel 70 kilometres to reach to the nearest town to get medical attention
- In the year 1959, Dashrath Manjhi's wife Falguni Devi died from lack of medical care
- In the memory of his wife, he carved the path in the Gehlour hills so that his village could have easier access to medical attention
- He worked day and night for 22 years and broke down the hill
- The path is 360 foot long and 25 foot deep.
- He shortened the distance from 70 kilometres to just one kilometre
- He worked from 1960 to 1982
- For his achievement, Manjhi became popularly known as the 'Mountain Man'
- He died on August 17, 2007 at the age of 73, while suffering from gall bladder cancer
- To honour his achievements, a hospital in his name is also proposed for serving the villagers
- He was called the poor man's Shah Jahan by filmmaker Ketan Mehta who has also made a documentary on his life
- His name was also proposed by the Bihar government for the Padma Shri award in 2006
- When a movie on his life was announced, Manjhi was on his deathbed. He put his thumb impression on an agreement and gave away "exclusive rights" to make a film on his life
- The mountain man was given a state funeral by the Government of Bihar.
