“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
― Rob Siltanen
Setting an Example for all, retired from the Indian Army, Subedar Major Bhagguram Maurya gifted a road to his villagers on the occasion of 70th Independence Day. Hailing from Rameshwar near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, Bhagguram joined the engineering department of the Indian Army. He returned to his house in the Himarampur area of the village last December after serving the country for 34 years and saw that the road was in such a bad condition that it was difficult to even ride a bicycle on it. This inspired him to forgo personal comforts and use his hard-earned PF money on something that would benefit everyone in the village.
Subedar Major Bhagguram Maurya was a part of the Indian Army since 1978 and did serve the country till 2012. He was honored by a medal for his meritorious service by two former Indian presidents – President APJ Abdul Kalam in 2002 and by President Pranab Mukherjee in 2012.
Before the construction, the condition of the road condition was very bad, after the construction many accidents have also declined. Whenever a vehicle used to pass through this road, dust was clouded. This is the reason that he made the road connecting Babatpur with Rajatalab with the money of his pension. He invested 4 Lakh Rupees of his savings for the construction of this road. After seven months of intense perseverance and with Rs 4 Lakh of Bhagguram’s money, the village finally has a road fit not just for riding two-wheelers but four-wheelers as well. The road is 10 feet broad and 1.5 km long.
However, Bhagguram says it was not an easy feat to achieve as the land on both sides of the road had become a part of the fields over the years. It was after three months and many discussions highlighting the advantages of his proposal that the village folks agreed.
Bhagguram received a lot of help from the Gram Pradhan, Vipin Kumar, who wishes to further work on making these roads permanent. This road has brought immense happiness to the villagers, who are greatly relieved at their commute from Babatpur to Rajatalab having been made easier.
Now, having exhausted his finances, Bhagguram has appealed to the concerned authorities to pave the road with interlocking tiles. Even the rural residents are demanding to install Interlocking Tiles on the road from the Panchayat so that the path becomes better and safer. He even mentioned to the English newspaper Hindustan Times, “Now I have no money left, otherwise, I would buy them by buying Interlocking Tiles and putting them on. I request the Minister of State for Public Works, Surendra Patel, to arrange interlocking tiles so that the road gets better. I hope they will definitely help us. “
We do give up some things to facilitate public order. At times, we sacrifice our freedoms and rights to ensure that our society can operate smoothly. We are drawn to stories of sacrifice because we know we need to be rescued. We know we can’t save ourselves. As we remember those who’ve served, let’s stop and reflect on why we are so drawn to stories of sacrifice. The people who sacrifice things for us need to be respected and helped in their endeavors.