Here are two stories of two raw villagers about whom India, particularly Bihar should feel proud. One moved a mountain, and the other one keeps on innovating useful products. The first is an example of perseverance and the second of fertile brains that you find in plenty in India.

The Story of Perseverance

In Gahlor Ghati of Gaya, over four decades ago, a frail, landless farmer, Dashrath Manjhi got hold of a chisel and a hammer to tear open a 300-feet-high hill to create a one-km passage to change the face of his village. Manjhi, then in his early 20s, chiselled and hammered at the rocks for 22 years.

As reported, this feat, part of local folklore now, started out of Manjhi's love for his wife. She slipped off the rocks while getting food for him as he worked in a field beyond the hill and broke her ankle.

His acquaintances and neighbours called him 'pagal' and even his wife and parents opposed his "adventure" when Dasharath sold his goats to buy the chisels and hammer. But all that steeled his resolve. He shifted his hut close to the hill to work all day and night, chipping away, little by little. "I did not even bother to eat," he says today.

In 1982, Manjhi completed the task, which reduced a long and arduous journey from his village Gahlor Ghati to Wazirganj to a walkable distance. One could walk through a clear flat passage - about 16-feet wide - to the other side of the hill.

But his victory was tinged with sadness. His wife, the inspirstion behind his task, was not by his side. "She died of illness. We could not take her to a hospital on time," says Manjhi.
And many youngsters of the village talk of Dasharath story. "We grew up hearing stories of the man who wanted to move a mountain. Today, it's a reality and a boon for the villagers."

Nothing has changed but for this hand-carved passage for the village. Electric poles were put up, but the cables never came. And a five-acre plot given by former CM Lalu Prasad to Manjhi for a hospital still lies barren. Will it change now with a technocrat, surprisingly civil engineer, in the highest chair of the state? I wish it did and Dasharath could see the hospital constructed and named after his wife.

However, Septagenarian Manjhi is hopeful. "I met CM Nitish Kumar recently. He has promised to develop the passage so that even a car can pass and will connect my village to Gaya. And, he told me that he would lay the foundation stone."

Will Nitish Kumar, as he is a busy man, remember the promise made and honour the hero who moved the mountain?

Another equally exciting story goes around Mohammad Saidullah of Motihari district, Bihar.