Govind TekaleIt is said that the trees bear fruits for others,the rivers flow for others,the cows give milk for others & the good people live for others: Paropakaray Phalanti Vrikshah, Paropakaray Vahanti Nadyah, Paropakaray Duhanti Gavah, Paropakaray Satam Vibhutayah. Such a good person is Tsultrim Chonjor. Chonjor, 60, is a social activist from Ladakh, who single handedly constructed a 38 km stretch of a road from Ramjak to Karzyak village in Ladakh.
Since years, people of Chonjor’s Village had been complaining about hilly roads and inaccessible paths in the area. Owing to these issues, villagers were deprived of facilities & services. Moreover there was no medical infrastructure. Chonjor then took matter s in his own hands and decided to do something about it instead of waiting for authorities.
Chonjor spent almost all his money saved to build a 38km road. Chonjor’s social work came to the notice of Govt when he made the road from Karzyak village in the Zanskar valley of the Ladakh region to Darcha hamlet in Lahaul Spiti Dist of HP from May 2014 to 2017. Over Rs. 57 Lakhs were spent from his own pocket for which he sold his ancestral property for the making of the road.
President Kovind conferred a Padmashri award on him on 21 Nov, 2021. Radha Krishna Mathur, Lt Gov of Ladakh, has rightly said that Padmashri Chonjor has become an icon for Ladakhi youth. He added that Chonjor is following Gita which says that whatever the great man does is followed by others as he sets a standard to be followed by a common person.
