Stories of human resilience and strength are always an inspiration. However, there are a few who have pushed the boundaries of human capability to levels many find hard to believe.
Such is the story of a teenage boy who took the responsibility of fighting water scarcity in his region. Over the last 27 years, he has kept on the fight single-handedly.
42-year-old, Shyam Lal began started digging a pond in Saja Pahad, of Koriya district in Chhattisgarh, almost three decades ago. Without the help of technology or capital, he completed the task of digging a pond for everyone in his village in 27 years.
No help came from the government, but he went on digging selflessly.
If the authorities want to willingly help me then it’s fine and even if they don’t, I will continue digging until the pond is full of water. I will dig till I am alive, whether the govt helps or not.Shyam Lal, Pond Digger
Shyam Lal’s efforts, hard work and determination echoes the story of Bihar’s ‘Mountain Man’, Dashrat Manjhi. He paved a road through the Gehlour hills in Bihar in memory of his wife. It took him 22 years to carve a road through the mountain using just a hammer and chisel.
These legends don’t wait for help to come by, they forge their own way.
Video editor: Sandeep Suman
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