{"id":1342,"date":"2018-01-12T03:06:38","date_gmt":"2018-01-12T03:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/?p=1342"},"modified":"2018-01-12T03:06:38","modified_gmt":"2018-01-12T03:06:38","slug":"indian-man-carves-road-through-hills-so-children-can-attend-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/2018\/01\/12\/indian-man-carves-road-through-hills-so-children-can-attend-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian man carves road through hills so children can attend school"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Jalandhar Nayak used a chisel, hoe and pickaxe to dig five-mile route, with officials planning to compensate him for his efforts<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n

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Jalandhar Nayak and his family are the only residents of the remote village of Gumsahi in eastern India. Photograph: BBC India<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Michael Safi<\/a> in Delhi<\/p>\n

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A man in a remote eastern Indian village has single-handedly carved a five-mile (8km) road through hilly terrain to help his children attend school.<\/p>\n

It had been taking Jalandhar Nayak\u2019s three sons about three hours each way to navigate the narrow, rocky route to class. So two years ago the vegetable seller from Odisha state<\/a> picked up a chisel, a garden hoe and pickaxe and began building a shorter route.<\/p>\n

His efforts came to the attention of government officials this week when he was featured in a local media bulletin.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy children found it hard to walk on the narrow and stony path while going to their school. I often saw them stumbling against the rocks and decided to carve a road through the mountain so that they can walk more easily,\u201d he told News World Odisha.<\/p>\n

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\u201cNayak\u2019s effort and determination to cut mountains to build a road left me spellbound,\u201d the local administrator, Brundha D, told reporters.<\/p>\n

He said Nayak, 45, would be paid for the time he had spent building the path between Gumsahi village and the school in Phulbani, according to the Press Trust of India<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The family are the only remaining residents of Gumsahi, with the rest of the village having left for areas with better roads and amenities.<\/p>\n

Nayak had planned to work for another three years to build the remaining four miles (7km) required to complete the road \u2013 a job that has now been taken over by the local government.<\/p>\n