After his wife tragically died in 1959 due to an injury sustained from falling off a mountain, and because the mountain blocked easy access to a nearby hospital, Dashrath Manjhi made a life-changing decision. He dedicated himself to carving a 110-meter-long (360 ft) path through a ridge of hills using only a hammer and chisel. After 22 years of hard work, he managed to reduce the travel distance from 55 kilometers (34 miles) to just 15 kilometers (9.3 miles). Though he was mocked for his efforts, Manjhi's work has made life more accessible for the people of his village.