New Delhi (Sputnik) – In an accomplishment purely driven by courage and grit, a 70-year-old tribal man from India's eastern state of Odisha has carved out about a kilometer-long canal to irrigate his barren land. Daitari Naik is now a local hero with the media and local administration approaching him to appreciate and learn more about his work.
"We are living in the forest area and mostly depend on cultivation as the livelihood. Due to lack of irrigation facilities, we could not cultivate properly. Hence we worked for years with other family members together to clear the rocks and bushes to make the water come down," Daitari Naik told Odisha Television.
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Naik who comes from the Baitarani village under the Banspal block of Keonjhar district in Odisha is now being compared with Dashrath Manjhi of Bihar who has also been called "the Mountain Man." Manjhi, who single-handedly carved through a mammoth peak to build a road connecting his village to a nearby town is a legend in India with a popular movie dedicated to his life.
Finally Watched The Full Movie's Manjhi, Great Work @Nawazuddin_S @ManjhiTheFilm Great Story, Great Film. pic.twitter.com/7vrMflj5cQ
— Arijit Singh™ (@ARIJIT__SINGH) August 23, 2015
After Naik's feat was highlighted by the media, the local administration had taken note of the villagers' problems.
If There is a Will, There is a Way.Dasrath Majhi of Jharkhand moved mountains 2 build a road.75 yrs tribal Daitari Nayak,carved water channel 2 his village 3km,though scoffed by villgers undettered with hoe n crowbarnthrough mountainsin Odisha,in 3yrs.Nothing is insurmountable
— iqbal parmar (@iqbalparmar7) June 22, 2018
