In the rugged terrain of Uttarakhand, life is often a daily negotiation with hardship. Yet, the journey of Lalit Mohan Joshi stands out as a narrative of grit that transcends mere survival. He has forged a path for himself, his family, and an entire generation of youth. Born into stark poverty where his family often struggled to secure even two square meals a day, Joshi’s story is less a tale of struggle and more a testament to the power of unyielding positivity, echoing the drama of any silver screen epic.
Joshi recounted the almost unbelievable daily commute of his childhood. “To attend school up to the eighth grade at the government Shishu Mandir in Kafligair, I had to walk 10 kilometers daily,” he said. “It took an hour and a half through difficult, winding footpaths, navigating the constant fear of wild animals. There was never a guarantee that I would return safely.”
Joshi did not shy away from detailing social challenges that accompanied his physical ordeal. “At school, some children from affluent families would sometimes look at us with ridicule and make comments about our financial condition and our long daily walk,” he shared.
These better-off peers felt superior because they lived in the ‘township’. But this perceived deficit fueled an internal strength. “We had more positivity than those children,” Joshi asserted, “because we completed that long journey every day, and we also helped our parents with household chores—collecting fodder, making cow-dung cakes for fuel, and grinding spices in the mortar.”
It was during this period that a crucial moment solidified his future path. “I was in the seventh grade when those words struck me deep, embedding themselves in my mind. I realized that under the same circumstances, I would never be able to fulfill the dreams I held for success by remaining confined to these difficult mountain trails.”
Following his family’s move to Haldwani in search of better opportunities, Lalit Mohan Joshi’s father — a man of deep simplicity — gave him a piece of advice that would shape his life: never fall into bad company or addiction. Financial hardship, however, forced young Joshi to seek work during his summer holidays.
At the Purnagiri Temple fair, he saw a chance to earn by selling ‘Prasad’. Borrowing `250, he started small but soon turned that investment into `18,000 in just over a month.
Later, Joshi moved to Dehradun to stay with a relative, but the experience proved unsettling. His relative’s constant intoxication reminded him of his father’s counsel, and he left the environment immediately. Soon after, he found employment where his sincerity and hard work impressed his employers. His exceptional performance earned him a bonus, with the choice of cash or a foreign trip.
He chose the trip — and was allowed to take his parents to Dubai. “Sitting in an aeroplane I had only seen in textbooks, and seeing tears in my parents’ eyes, was the most emotional moment of my life,” he recalled. The company later sent him to seven more countries.
Having witnessed the destructive power of addiction firsthand, Joshi developed a lifelong aversion to drugs and alcohol. His dedication led the Uttarakhand government to appoint him to the State Mental Health Authority. Determined to prevent others from facing the deprivation he once knew, Joshi now provides free education to 300 children annually and runs the ‘Sajag India’ campaign against substance abuse.
Through school outreach and digital awareness, ‘Sajag India’ has reached over 800,000 students and amassed 50 million online views. With 250,000 members already involved, Joshi now plans to expand his anti-drug mission to states like UP, Haryana, and Punjab.
