Refused permission to draw water from a well by the owner and insult of his wife made him so determined to be self reliant that Bapurao Tajne dug a well all by himself in just 40 days. In the small village of Kalambeshwar in Maharashtra, one man’s hard work and determination has translated into the discovery of a source of water for his entire community.
Caste politics in the village prompted him to take on the seemingly impossible task. His wife had not only been denied permission to draw water from a village well but, to make matters worse, had also been insulted.
Tajne told The Times of India, “I don’t want to name the well owner because I don’t want bad blood in the village. However, I feel that he insulted us because we are poor and Dalits. I came home that day in March and almost cried. I resolved never to beg for water from anybody. I went to Malegaon and bought tools and within an hour I started digging.”
Everyone, including his family thought he had gone crazy especially because three wells and a borewell in the area had already gone dry. No one came forward to help but Tajne persevered, keen to overcome all obstacles to reach his goal.
At 15 feet, his efforts paid off and he struck water.
Bapurao Tajne – like Manjhi before him – is proof that no obstacle is too big to overcome, if only you believe.