By Florine Roche

Sirsi, Jun 16: It is said that hard work is not easy. But the fruits of the hard labour are always worth the effort. Gowri Chandrashekar Naik of Ganesh Nagar in Sirsi Taluk of Uttara Kannada district is a perfect example of hard work coupled with a strong resolve, willpower and determination to reach the goal she set for herself. With her fortitude Gowri has achieved the unthinkable - something which is not easy to achieve singlehandedly.

52 year old Gowri, a widow who has studied only up to 2nd standard, has dug a 5 feet broad and almost 75 feet deep well manually in three months all by herself and that is what makes her achievement a rarity.

Digging a well has always been considered as a man’s job. But Gowri has clearly demonstrated that when it comes to any work, the gender is not a hindrance. Speaking to daijiworld, she said, “I consider this well as a temple and before I get into it I salute her and then begin my work. I am not scared of getting into the well. My only fear was whether I would get water or not. Marikamba goddess has heard my prayers and rewarded by devotion and hard work.”

Today, this well she dug in her 6 gunta farm land comprising areca and banana plants has become the cynosure of all eyes making her a celebrity of sort. Nicknamed “Lady Bagiratha” by the people of the surrounding area, Gowri is quite forthcoming and eager to narrate her exciting and remarkable achievement to the visitors who make a beeline to her home ever since her achievement has come to limelight. The innocence she exhibits, the rustic charm and the sincerity as she narrates her story does not go unnoticed to a discernible visitor or listener. The media glare has not changed her daily routine or her thinking, especially her desire to work hard.

“It is all the grace of Marikamba Devi of Sirsi who desired that my hard work should be rewarded,” she says of her exceptional achievement. “I was aghast and worried when I realized my plants may not get enough water and all my hard work would be futile. After lot of deliberations I decided to dig a well in my farm,” she explains.

Gowri, who worked as a daily labourer for long, had planted areca nut and banana plants in her farm a few years ago. She has about 6 guntas of forest encroached land in Ganesh Nagar in Sirsi Taluk. When she realized that her farm was drying due to lack of water she decided to find a permanent solution on her own.

She brought necessary equipments like pick and shovel, bucket and ropes to remove the mud and water. She brought two huge wooden poles to tie a pulley to pull the soil dug. This pulley and the rope was her constant companion as it enabled her to get in and out of the well even as she went deeper. She started digging in a 5 feet diameter as this breadth gave access to her legs both ways. She dug small steps just enough to keep her feet all around the circular diameter to enable her to get into the well and also to come out easily. Every day she used to dig 2 to 3 feet and remove the mud herself coming up every time after filling in 2 or 3 buckets and then get into the well again.

A Workaholic with meagre food habits

Gowri who lives with her son Vinay says she used to work after her son left for work as she was a bit apprehensive that he would not allow her to go ahead with her plans. All along no one knew what Gowri was doing at her backyard. In March, her daughter had come home along with her son and through him the family members came to know what Gowri was doing. Though her children dissuaded her saying it is risky considering that she was working all alone she did not budge from her resolve.

Of course, she did encounter many problems en route. After digging about 40 feet she came across two layers of hard rock which she chiselled using all her stamina. It was here she began to get thoughts like “what if I don’t get water”. But she is a strong- willed woman whose resolve does not get swayed by such thoughts. At this stage she developed chest pain and even visited a doctor and did not tell the kind of work she was doing when asked. “When I was chiselling the hard rock I used to cover my face with my saree pallu and dig so that the dust does not get into my eyes”, she points out.

Fortunately for her the hard rock layer made way for red soil. Again fear gripped her when she failed to get water even after digging 60 feet. But one fine day she saw the red soil was moist and the next day she was on cloud nine when she cited water in her well. As she went deeper she did face the problem of lack of oxygen especially after getting water in the well. But she used to lift her face up to take oxygen and continue with her work.

Today her well serves as a source of water not just for her farm but also for the neighbours who face water shortage during summer.

During the three months that took her to dig the well, Gowri worked like a possessed woman with a single-minded devotion. The only source of her energy during this hard manual work was her black tea without sugar and a few ground nuts and charmuri. Gowri is not particular about her food. “If I had normal food, I would not able to dig. So I used to depend on light food for energy. I love black tea without sugar and keep drinking it whenever I feel like.”

Talking to her at her modest home I am really taken aback by this woman’s gut feeling which is quite palpable even as she narrates her incredible story, which I am sure, is quite stirring to all of us.

It is not that Gowri lives in abject poverty and that she was forced to dig the well to eke out her living. Her husband died 10 years ago and she has educated her two children according to her ability. Her daughter is a staff nurse in a Government Hospital and younger son Vinay, who is an X-Ray technician, runs his own aquarium in Sirsi. But she wanted to ensure water to her plants and nothing could stop her from her resolve to save her plants.

For Gowri only hard work gives happiness and she can complete any work she undertakes. Her son Vinay is proud of her mother’s extraordinary achievements and says “she is a workaholic who adores her work. She does not get tired even though her food intake is minimal and erratic. She cannot sit idle and I have not seen her idle any time.”

For entertainment and to chill Gowri listens to Dr Rajkumar’s songs and watch his films, which she says “inspire and keep me going ahead to reach my goals.”

Gowri is certainly a gusty and fearless woman and deserves kudos for her incredible feat.