What the Mountain Man Taught Me About an Artist’s Path

What the Mountain Man Taught Me About an Artist’s Path

The Mountain Man” (2015) is a biographical drama based on the life of Dashrath Manjhi, a real man from Bihar, India. Born into an impoverished and marginalized community, Manjhi spent his early life struggling against social discrimination and severe poverty. His life changes dramatically when his beloved wife, Falguni, dies after falling while crossing a steep mountain path. Reaching the nearest hospital required a long detour around the mountain, and the dangerous, time-consuming journey prevented him from saving her. This tragedy leaves Manjhi devastated but determined.

Driven by grief and a desire to protect others from suffering the same fate, Manjhi makes a radical decision: he will carve a road through the mountain with his own hands. Without government support or proper equipment, he begins working with just a hammer and a chisel. The villagers mock him and call him insane, but Manjhi remains unwavering, fueled by love, anger, and a sense of responsibility toward his community. Overcoming extreme heat, hunger, loneliness, and constant ridicule, he continues his work day after day.

After 22 years of labor, he completes a 110-meter pass through the mountain, transforming the daily life of his village. The new path dramatically shortens travel time, allowing children, elders, and the sick to reach schools, markets, and hospitals safely.

The film portrays not only Manjhi’s extraordinary perseverance but also broader themes such as class inequality, poverty, political indifference, and the power of individual conviction. Above all, it shows how one person’s dedication—rooted in love and moral courage—can reshape the future of an entire community.

A reflection on overcoming obstacles as an artist, inspired by Manjhi and those who transformed barren landscapes through steady, persistent effort.

Yin Yuzhen from China’s Inner Mongolia is known for transforming barren desert into a thriving forest through decades of determination. Married at 19 into a remote village near the Mu Us Desert, she endured constant sandstorms, drought, and poverty. Her home was often buried in sand, and farming was nearly impossible. Refusing to accept a life swallowed by the desert, she resolved to change her environment by planting trees. Her first 600 saplings mostly died due to harsh winds, drought, and rodent damage, but she refused to give up. She learned to plant tall trees as windbreaks and fill the inner areas with shrubs to stabilize the soil, gradually developing an ecological system that could survive the desert conditions.
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For decades, Yin and her family hauled water, endured heat and sandstorms, and planted thousands of trees every year without machinery or government support at the beginning. Over time, the edges of the desert turned green, and vast stretches of degraded land were restored. Some reports credit her with helping to reforest more than 70,000 hectares. The recovered land reduced erosion, revived grazing and farming areas, and revitalized the local ecosystem.
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Like India’s “Mountain Man,” Yin Yuzhen’s story shows how one person’s resilience and long-term commitment can reshape an entire community and environment. ​

Have you ever stood in the middle of a desert, with a vast mountain blocking your path, like these two stories, lamenting life? Even if it's not necessarily your circumstances, think of something that feels like a major obstacle when you're trying to achieve something. Looking back, I remember when I first decided to become an artist. After successfully completing my dream first exhibition, I vaguely felt like something was going to happen. How wonderful would it be if, like countless success stories, a benefactor suddenly appeared and said, "Your paintings are truly magnificent. I want to be your patron." Or how wonderful would it be if, after your first exhibition, you were bombarded with inquiries from other galleries, allowing you to continue exhibiting and make a living? But what's the reality?

In reality, it felt as though a massive mountain stood squarely in front of me. While others seemed to walk along flower-lined paths, the road beneath my feet looked more like an empty desert. When Manjhi struck his first stone with nothing but a hammer and chisel, what must he have felt? I think I understand that feeling very well.

I imagine that Manjhi must have considered other, more “reasonable” solutions. On the surface, filing a claim, appealing to the government, or seeking political help would appear to be simpler. There must have been politicians eager to use his situation for their own advantage. But life is rarely that simple. In the end, the method that looked irrational—using only a hammer and chisel—proved to be the only one that truly worked.

Sometimes, when we chase our dreams, the path forward looks foolish from the outside. I felt the same while trying to survive as an artist for many years with nothing but my brushes and pencils. I had to endure countless negative comments and subtle cynicism. Some even told me that having a child talented in art felt like a tragic fate. Others openly questioned whether art could ever support a living. Compared to the clear, stable routines the world prefers, the life of an artist appears uncertain and painfully ambiguous. That is because the artist’s path is carved by imagination, not by existing structures.

This is why I understand Manjhi’s heart. Instead of overthinking every obstacle or waiting for a perfect solution, he simply struck the stone in front of him. And do you know the true power of daily persistence? If one invests 22 years of steady effort, even a mountain can be split open into a road. This is why we must move forward with the determination to break a single small stone each day. Over time, those small, stubborn strikes accumulate into something that can change a landscape—and a life.