Semi-Paralyzed Indian Man Single-Handedly Digs Out A Road Through A Mud Hill For 3 Years Straight

Dec 18, 2019 by apost team

John Quincy Adams once said that “patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” In the case of one man from India and a small hill blocking his way, his obstacle literally disappeared. It’s a testimony to mind over matter.

From the time he was just 15, Sasi supported his family as a humble coconut tree climber. When he was 45-years-old, a climb went terribly wrong. Sasi fell from a great height. The injuries caused paralysis to the right side of his body.

His sons quit school to help support the family after Sasi’s injury. It would be months before Sasi could move any of his limbs. He was eventually able to walk again and regain limited use of his right hand after intense physiotherapy. Still, he would never be able to return to climbing coconut trees. Sasi wanted to find some way to at least help support and feed his family. He came up with the idea of selling lottery tickets in Vilappilsala in the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, India.

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The only problem was that he needed a three-wheel scooter for the job. He turned to the local authorities for help and completed an official petition for financial support to purchase the scooter. It was denied. They actually laughed at him and asked if he’d fly it over the hillside blocking his home. Instead of help, he received mockery.

Sasi didn’t even have a road coming to and from his home. So, the next ten years would be spent trying every avenue he could to get a road built to his home. His home was only accessible via a small path that wound around the hill, and that wouldn’t support a scooter. Sasi would turn in innumerable petitions to the Panchayat officers for a road. All were denied or unanswered.

At sixty-years-old, Sasi decided to take matters into his own hands. Literally. Sasi was determined he’d have a road to his home so he could get a scooter, even if he had to do it himself in a semi-paralyzed state and with the most primitive tools.

Using just a pickaxe and shovel, he began working on his road. He labored every single day from 5 am to 8:30 am, rested during the hottest part of the day, and then resumed his daily work from 3:30 pm until sundown.

Sasi endured much physical pain. His body simply wasn’t able to balance against the swing of the pickaxe. He endured many falls and suffered many injuries, but his body eventually adapted. He managed to “tame” his body for the work.

He didn’t care that his peers ridiculed, laughed, and labeled him as crazy. And, Sasi had no idea he wasn’t alone in his resolve. For 20 years, the Mountain Man of Bihar, Dashrath Manjhi, had been using chisels and hammers to slowly carve his own village a road.

It took three long, hard years, but Sasi made his own road. He’s not being laughed at now, but he still isn’t receiving any help from local authorities.

Once his story went viral, though, everyday people stepped in to ensure Sasi got his scooter.

Stories of perseverance and patience like this inspire us all to be brave in the face of adversity, right? What are your thoughts? Do you have your own story to offer? Don’t forget to pass Sasi’s story along to others; you never know what it might spark in someone else’s life.