If the Mountain won't come to Dasrath, he'll move it!

A totally splendid good day to you my friend and may the elephants that pass your abode not tromp on your begonias. Let the brown nectar of the Gods generously fill your mug while you munch on a chuphati or curry samosa and whilst I tell you about Dasrath.

Dasrath Manjhi, a landless farmer from India, made history after he spent over two decades chiselling away at a mountain with rudimentary tools, in order to create a road for his community, when the Government refused to.

If you’re looking for some motivation, stories don’t get much more inspirational than that of Dasrath Manjhi. 53 years ago, he set out to carve a 1mk-long path through a rocky hillside, all by himself, in order to make it easier for his fellow villagers to access schools, markets and neighboring villagers.

“This hill had given us trouble and grief for centuries. The people had asked the government many times to make a proper road through the hill, but nobody paid any attention. So I just decided I would do it all by myself,” Manjhi told Indian newspaper Tehelka, in 2007, a shortly before succumbing to the cancer that was plaguing him. 

With just his chisel, hammer and shovel, this legendary man turned what was once a precarious one-foot-wide passage into a 360 ft-long, 30ft-wide road accessible by bicycle and motorcycle. The hill kept the region’s villages in isolation, forcing people to trek through dangerous terrain for hours just to reach their lands or the nearest market town. Children had to walk eight kilometers to reach school, but thanks to Dasrath Manjhi’s handmade road, that distance has been reduced to three kilometers, and people from over 60 villages now use it every day.

I would think his karma has taken an upswing wouldn’t you?

“Hey, Dassy.”

“What?”

“Have you finished the road yet?”

“Can you see your goats on the other side yet?”

“Ah…no.”

“Then I haven’t bloody well finished cutting the mountain out of the way, have I, you nincompoop of a goatherd!”

“No problem, Dassy. I’ll come back tomorrow…”

See ya, eh!

Bob

Comment from Doug in Bangkok:

 

Hey Bob! What about those pesky cheese smugglers in Canada? Sounds right up your gastronomic street on your return, eh?

ATB

Doug 

 

Bob's response:

 

Watch for my cheesy post tomorrow, Doug!