Bihar: Rahul Gandhi pays tribute to ‘Mountain Man’ Dashrath Manjhi in Gaya

GAYA (Bihar): Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, visited Gaya in Bihar on Friday, where he paid tribute to Dashrath Manjhi, popularly known as the ‘Mountain Man’.

Rahul Gandhi, who arrived in Gaya earlier in the day, visited the Dashrath Manjhi Memorial accompanied by members of Manjhi’s family.
As part of his visit, he will attend various events in the region.

The Mountain Man lived in Gehlaur village, near Gaya. As per the Bihar Government, Manjhi carved a path 110 m long (360 ft), 9.1 m (30 ft) wide and 7.7 m (25 ft) deep through a ridge of hills using only a hammer and chisel. After 22 years of work, Dashrath shortened the travel between the Atri and Wazirganj blocks of Gaya town from 55 km to 15 km.

He breathed his last at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, on August 17, 2007.

The Government of Bihar gave him a state funeral, proposed his name for the Padma Shri award in 2006 in the social service sector and released a stamp by the India Post in the ‘Personalities of Bihar’ series on December 26, 2016. (ANI)