A man named Jalandhar Nayak, living in a remote eastern Indian village, did not like the fact that his three sons had to spend three hours walking down a rocky path to reach school every day. So he did the unthinkable–the man\u00a0picked up a chisel, a garden hoe and pickaxe and began building a shorter, easier-to-navigate 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
\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
\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. Nayak’s\u00a0family are the only remaining residents of Gumsahi, with the rest of the village having left for areas with better roads and amenities.<\/p>\n