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Empowerment | Dashrath Manjhi and more: When one-man army makes the difference -Joanna Lobo

Dashrath Manjhi and more: When one-man army makes the difference -Joanna Lobo

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published Published on Aug 30, 2015   modified Modified on Aug 30, 2015
-Hindustan Times

Dashrath Manjhi of Gehlaur village near Gaya in Bihar spent most of his life carving a path through a mountain, armed with just a hammer and chisel. Last week, his story was released as a film, a tribute to the man who challenged a flawed and negligent system.

While Manjhi's is an epic tale, he is not entirely alone. Across the country, individuals have taken on heroic challenges, stepping in when governments fail, to fix gaping holes in education, healthcare, infrastructure and conservation.

"Great constraints make for great stories. Individuals who step in to fill vacuums in governance take governance to a level of heroism. They represent more than an individual effort. They represent a dream, an indefatigable spirit of society." says sociologist Shiv Visvanathan.

So, in Mumbai, an 80-year-old spends his Sunday mornings fixing leaking taps and ends up saving 3 million litres of water. In Hyderabad, a retired civil engineer decides to fix his street's potholes himself and has since filled up 1,100. In West Bengal, a little girl broke boundaries with a football team and a little boy set up a school where the syllabus was whatever he had learned in school that day. In Manipur, a fitness trainer uses workouts, meditation and counselling to keep youngsters off drugs.

"While the work of these one-man armies must be encouraged, we must all also try and make the system more responsive," points out Sunita Narain, director of the Centre for Science and Environment. The next logical step, Visvanathan says, is to institutionalise their work."There must be a continuous process of problem-solving. What we need is to build community efforts and encourage participation. Then only will there be a sustained difference in the long-term."

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Hindustan Times, 30 August, 2015

Hindustan Times, 30 August, 2015, http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/dashrath-manjhi-and-more-when-one-man-army-makes-the-difference/article1-1385680.aspx


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