Dashrath Manjhi, popularly known as “Mountain Man” was a moneyless, landless, powerless young man who moved the mountain, quite literally. This feat of his shortened the travel time between Atri and Wazirganj of Gaya town, in Bihar, from 55Kms to mere 15 Kms. He was called a lunatic and was made fun of for trying to break the mountain to crave a road but his firm determination of moving a huge protected mountain and his firm goal was the thing that made his dream and hard-work come true. It took him 22 years to carve a road, which is used by his villagers.
Not many would have been aware of this inspiring man, had it not been to Bollywood who is converting his life story into a film. The film by Ketan Mehta, titled “Manjhi-The Mountain Man” is slated to release this Friday, starring NawazuddinSiddiqui and RadhkaApte in the leading roles of DashrathManjhi and Falguni Devi, his wife.
His is a classic unconditional, true love story which made motivated him to move the mountains so any other villager would not have to go through the pain he went through when he lost his wife. When he returned his home after 7 years of working in Dhanbad coal mines, he fell in love with Falguni Devi, who to his surprise was his childhood bride and her father refused to send her as he was jobless, but being firm they both eloped. Falguni Devi gave birth to a baby boy. In the year 1960, when she was pregnant for the second time, she was taking lunch to her husband one day who was working in the fields. Unfortunately, her foot slipped on the treacherous mountain. When someone alerted Dashrath about his wife’s accident, he panicked and ran and took his blood splattered wife to the nearest hospital which was 70 Kms away. She was declared brought dead, but gave birth to a baby girl.
Manjhi was heart-broken and vowed to make the mountain bow down before him and break it’s ego to take avenge his wife’s death. “Jab Taktodengenahi, tab takchodengenahi”- After losing his wife in 1959, Manjhi took up a challenge against the mountain and sold his goats to buy a hammer, chisel and crowbar.Then began the impossible feat of moving the mountain. He took on a hammer and a chisel and started the impossible, hard, Herculean and back-breaking work of breaking the mountain. He refused to leave the village even when it was stuck by drought and famine to move to another city to earn bread for his two kids. He was constantly ridiculed by his father for this lunatic and “use-less” work, but he was hell bent on achieving his phenomenal feat.
In 1975, during the Emergency, Manjhi helped in bearing the stage where Indira Gandhi was giving her speech, sue to which he came to be known to PM, the Mukhiya of his village, changed his colours like a chameleon and lured Manjhi into giving his thumb print. When Manjhi realized that he was cheated by his village leader he travelled all the way to Delhi to meet PM, but he was lathicharged and was ridiculed by the cops. His hopes shattered but then upon returning his village he had a ray of hope when he saw few of the villagers helping him carve the road on the mountain. But that hope was short lived as local officials arrested them. But a journalist who saw Manjhi carving the road on the mountain single handed in his earlier days came to their rescue as a guardian angel, who staged a protest in front of the police station to release Dashrath.
Dashrath single handedly carved a 360 feet long, 30 feet high and wide passage in between the mountain. He shortened the 55km stretch into a mere 15 kms passage for the villagers. Finally, after 22 years of Herculean task, one morning in 1982, Bihar government roped in to make a road on the mountain. Finally Manjhi’s dream came true.
His name was proposed for the PadmaShree in the social service sector in 2006. He passed away in 2007 in AIIMS from a Gall Bladder Cancer. He was awarded a state funeral. Before he died, he gave his exclusive rights in making a biopic on his life.
Such is the inspiring story of a man who moved mountains single handedly for the love he had for his wife. His motivation on bringing the mountain down after it claimed the life of his wife and him not wanting anyone else to go through the same pain he went through, is truly commendable.
Manjhi: The Mountain Man is all set to release this Friday. Do have a look at the trailer here:
By: Archa Dave
