Dashrath Manjhi

The family of Dashrath Manjhi is worried about the safety of the tools, which they claim the Mountain Man had used to carve out a 360-ft-long, 25-ft-high and 16-ft-wide road through Gehlaur valley.

The valley, around 35km northwest of Gaya district headquarters, had got the road after Manjhi worked on it for 22 continuous years from 1960.

In view of the worries, the Gaya administration has plans to initiate steps to preserve the tools with the consent of the family members of the Mountain Man.

Manjhi had used chisel, hammer and sickle to carve out the road from a hill. The concern of the family members is well understood because the cap that the Mountain Man used to wear has already been stolen from his samadhi after his death on August 17, 2007. After his death, Manjhi was buried and not cremated. His family had kept the cap near the samadhi.

Bhagirath Manjhi, the only son of the Mountain Man, said: “I have kept the tools in safe custody.” He, however, apprehends that the tools might be stolen someday. Therefore, Bhagirath wants them to be kept in a museum as a memorial of his father.

“The personal items of famous people are kept at different museums for people to have a glimpse. The tools, including the chisel, hammer and sickle, with which my father used to carve out the road, are also of historical value,” he said.

Bhagirath feels that his family has recently been in the limelight because of Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan’s February 25 visit. This could be the reason behind his fears. The opening episode of Aamir-hosted Satyamev Jayate-II, which starts on March 2, is on Dashrath Manjhi.

Gaya district magistrate Balamurugan D. told The Telegraph that he would talk to Bhagirath Manjhi to know what he and his family wants with the tools.

“It is the private property of the family. If the family wants to get the tools preserved, the district administration will initiate necessary steps in this regard,” the DM said.