Dashrath Manjhi (1934– 17 August 2007)

was born into a poor labourer family in Gehlaur village, near Gaya in Bihar, India.He is known as "Mountain Man" for carving a path through a mountain in the Gehlour hills so that his village could have easier access to medical attention after his wife died from a lack thereof.

To cross the mountain, one had to traverse a narrow and treacherous pass. In 1959, Dashrath Majhi's wife, Falguni Devi, was injured and needed immediate medical attention. Unfortunately, the nearest town with a doctor was located 70 km away, as he had to travel around the Gehlour mountain hills; as a result, his wife died from the lack of timely medical treatment. In hopes of potentially limiting or preventing the outcome that he and his wife suffered, Dashrath committed himself to manually producing a shorter route, which eventually shortened the travelling distance between the Atri and Wazirganj blocks of Gaya town from 55 km to 15 km

Dashrath Manjhi carved a path 360-foot-long (110 m) through-cut, 25-foot-deep (7.6 m) in places and 30-foot-wide (9.1 m) to form a road through a mountain in the Gehlour hills, working day and night for 22 years from 1960 to 1982. His feat reduced the distance between the Atri and Wazirganj blocks of the Gaya district from 80 km to 13 km, bringing him national acclaim. Though initially mocked for his efforts, this only served to strengthen his resolve. But as time went by, the unfazed farmer continued to split the troublesome hill in half, he started getting some help. "Though most villagers taunted me at first, there were quite a few who lent me support later by giving me food and helping me buy my tools," he remembered. Now all the people of Gaya district have nothing but gratitude of the "Mountain Man" who made their lives so much easier.

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