You may have heard the story of Bihar’s “Mountain Man” Dashrath Manjhi, who carved a road through a mountain after losing his wife. Now, a similar story of determination has emerged from Maharashtra, where a tribal man has taken up the task of building a road after a personal tragedy.
A tribal woman allegedly died in a remote village along the Telangana border because an ambulance couldn't get there due to lack of a suitable road.
Two months after the incident, the villagers of Ghodankappi village in Chandrapur's Jivati taluka in Maharashtra began the construction work of this road themselves, citing that they could no longer wait for action by government authorities.
Wife Died After Ambulance Failed To Reach Village
Sangeeta, wife of Tulsiram Gedam, died on June 14 after giving birth to a baby girl. According to villagers, an ambulance could not reach their remote hilltop village due to the lack of a paved road connecting it to the main route.
Following his wife’s death, Tulsiram decided to take matters into his own hands and began working with villagers to build a road connecting the village to the main road.
“In an emergency, every minute is precious. My wife needed treatment, but the ambulance couldn't reach our village. I lost her. I don't want anyone else to lose a family member because of the road,” Tulsiram said.
Villagers Take Up Road Construction
On World Indigenous Peoples Day, several tribal residents gathered in Ghodankappi and began repairing the approximately 1.5-kilometre stretch connecting their village to the existing road. Around half of the work has reportedly been completed.
Tulsiram said villagers had repeatedly approached the administration for road connectivity but received no concrete solution.
According to TOI, Tulsiram said, "We appealed to the administration several times for a road, but nothing came of it. After losing my wife, I decided we couldn't wait any longer. I don't want any other family to face a similar situation."
Village Cut Off During Monsoon
Ghodanakappi village, with about 20 households, is nestled among the hills and has been inhabited for nearly three decades. Although this small village has a cement road and an Anganwadi, it lacks a proper road connecting to the main road.
Residents have to walk along a rocky 1.5-kilometre stretch, which becomes extremely difficult during the monsoon. Even motorcycles struggle to reach the village during bad weather.
Children studying at the nearby Zilla Parishad school also use the same difficult route every day.
Road Project Remained Incomplete
A road was constructed up to around 1.5 kilometres from Ghodankappi under the Chief Minister’s Rural Road Scheme in 2021. However, the final stretch connecting the village located at the foothills was never completed.
A Story Reminiscent Of Dashrath Manjhi
Tulsiram’s efforts have been compared to Dashrath Manjhi, the labourer from Bihar, who broke through a mountain to build a road to his village after he lost his wife, who could not get timely medical assistance due to poor road connectivity.
Much like Manjhi, Tulsiram started building the road after he lost his wife. However, unlike Manjhi's solitary effort, his path is now shared by fellow villagers who have joined him in the endeavour.
For Tulsiram, the road is a promise that another family will not have to go through the loss that he did, due to poor connectivity.