"Mountain Man" Nayak Paves A Way To Education

The absence of something makes you realise the importance of it. Jalandhar Nayak of Odisha's Kandhamal district is one such example. Having no access to education during his childhood days and the hardships suffered thereafter made him realize the importance of education. Nayak who earns a living by selling vegetables wanted to make life easier for his sons. Nayak's three sons faced a lot of trouble in crossing hillocks to reach the school which made him pick up the hammer and chisel. Eight hours of gruelling work every day for two years Nayak took over the responsibility single-handedly and constructed a 15-km road, connecting his village Gumsahi to the main road in Phulbani town of Odisha's Kandhamal district.  ‎Nayak's efforts went completely unnoticed until January 9 when the collector herself invited him to her office after reading a report in a local newspaper. After which the collector offered him financial support and directed the block development officer to engage labourers and complete the road construction work. ‎Nayak's effort and determination to cut mountains to build a road left me spellbound, he will be paid under MGNREGS scheme for all the days he has worked said collector Brundha D.  Nayak thanked the district administration for recognizing his efforts. He strongly believes that a small effort does make a change even if they are done single-handedly. People like Nayak set an example for others to follow.