She survived the fall but sustained severe internal injuries and a broken leg. Because the mountain blocked access to the district hospital, Manjhi had to carry her on a makeshift bamboo stretcher for nearly 75 kilometers. It took him over a day. By the time they reached Wazirganj, Falguni Devi’s condition had deteriorated beyond saving. She died from what should have been a treatable injury.
Manjhi was shattered. In that moment of utter darkness, something snapped—and then reformed. He later recalled, “My wife died because there was no road. I decided I will not let this happen to anyone else. I will cut this mountain myself.” The villagers laughed. The elders called him mad. The math was impossible: the ridge was over 360 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 25 feet high. That’s roughly 9,000 cubic feet of solid rock . A government engineer would have quoted millions of rupees and a decade of work with heavy machinery. Manjhi had no money, no machinery, no support. manjhi: the mountain man
But here is the most poignant part of the story: When he was diagnosed with cancer, the nearest hospital that could treat him was the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi—over 1,000 kilometers away. The road he had built with his bare hands could not save him from the vast distances of a country’s healthcare system. Yet, he went to his death without regret. She survived the fall but sustained severe internal