Engineers Day 2023: Dashrath Manjhi was fondly called the 'Mountain Man of India'.
On Engineers' Day, Industrialist Anand Mahindra praised the efforts of Dashrath Manjhi, who cut a road through a mountain in Bihar's Gaya district. Mr Mahindra said Mr Manjhi achieved the impossible despite not being computer literate. He came to be known as the 'Mountain Man of India' for his determination and perseverance. It took Mr Manjhi 22 years to build the 300-metre-long and 25-feet-wide road. He was rewarded by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. In 2016, Indian Post issued a postage stamp featuring Mr Manjhi.
"On #EngineersDay2023 I bow low to this man. No, he wasn't an engineer. No, he didn't graduate from any Institute of Technology. No he wasn't even computer literate nor did he design any machines. But he believed what every true Engineer believes:: "NOTHING is impossible"," Mr Mahindra said in his post on X (formerly Twitter).
His post amassed more than 1.6 lakh views in a few hours.
"For me, engineering was all about not giving up. Finding a way. Proud to be an engineer. It's not a degree, it's a lifestyle for me," commented one user.
"Dashrath Manjhi is inspiration for billions of people," said another. "Must have been an engineer in last birth sir," a third user said.
Mr Manjhi, who lived in Nagar village in Gaya district, worked from 1960 to 1982 to create the road. His efforts linked Ghivra Mauja of Dashrath Nagar, in Gehlaur Ghati to Atara Prakhand, Wajirganj, reducing the distance from 75 km to just one km.
Mr Manjhi died in 2007 at the age of 70.