Dana Majhi, the tribal man from Odisha's Melghar who was forced to walk for 10 kms last August with the dead body of his wife after the hospital authorities denied him an ambulance, is now a rich man. The 'helpless' Dana of 2016, now owns a house, a motorbike and his sobbing 13-year-old daughter, who was seen in the video walking alongside with Majhi, studies in a residential school in Bhubaneswar. He has even remarried and his new wife is pregnant.
Majhi's wife died last year due to tuberculosis in hospital and Majhi had no money to take her body in an ambulance. A helpless Majhi said then, "The hospital authorities said that there are no vehicles. I pleaded with them saying I am a poor person and cannot afford a vehicle to carry my wife's body. Despite repeated requests, they said they cannot offer me any help."
Images of Majhi carrying his wife's body spread swiftly on the internet. Many had come forward to help Majhi including the Bahraini Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa who gave Majhi Rs 8.87 lakh. Apart from this the Melghar tribal who had said that "my life has turned upside down," received another Rs 9 lakhs in donations from various organisations.
Even the Odisha administration allotted a house to Majhi under the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Awas Yojana and the house is under construction.
Majhi on Tuesday, December 7 arrived on the same street in Melghar which he had walked with his wife's body, on a brand new Honda bike which he bought from a showroom after paying Rs 65,000. The owner of the Bhawanipatna Honda showroom said, "Majhi told me he has a new house and now needs a motorcycle to travel."
Majhi's three daughters have been admitted to residential school in Bhubaneswar. Majhi, for now, sits pillion with his nephew, as he doesn't know to ride the motorbike. The tribal from Odisha's Melghar still cultivates a small piece of land thata he owns in the village.
