The Long Way Around

The nearest town with proper medical care was on the other side of the mountain. The road there went all the way around it, a journey of about 55 kilometers.

For Falguni, it was too far. She did not get the urgent care she needed in time, and in 1959, she died.

And the mountain was still there.

"This hill had given us trouble and grief for centuries," Manjhi said. "The people had asked the government many times to make a proper road through the hill, but nobody paid any attention."

So he decided he would do it all by himself.