A devastating tragedy in 2015 turned Mumbai-based  Dadarao Bilhore’s  life upside down.

A pothole on a rainy Mumbai road claimed the life of his 16-year-old son, Prakash, in a fatal accident.

But instead of letting his grief consume him, Dadarao decided to take action to ensure no one else would face a similar fate.

Armed with broken paver blocks, gravel, stones, a shovel, and an unbreakable spirit, he started filling every pothole he witnessed within one month of Prakash’s passing.

Over the past eight years, he has personally repaired over 1,500 potholes, making the city’s roads safer for thousands of commuters.

Dubbed as ‘Pothole Dada of Mumbai’, Dadarao has since inspired countless others to join him, turning his personal effort into a larger community movement for road safety.

“I observed how authorities waited until someone died to fill potholes and file FIRs. I couldn’t let any more people die like Prakash. I decided to do it on my own,” he says.

Bilhore’s efforts inspired the ‘Fill in the Potholes Project’, a Mumbai-based citizen group that developed the Spothole app.

Using a smartphone's camera, GPS, and internet, the app allows users to report pothole locations with photos. This simplifies the process, leaving the BMC to focus on filling the reported potholes.

From the Shoorveer Award in 2017 to the Maharana Mewar Award in 2020, he has received numerous honours. He has also delivered various awareness talks, including a TED talk, about his mission.

However, his journey hasn’t been easy. From sourcing materials to navigating bureaucratic challenges, Dadarao has faced many hurdles.

But he has no plans of stopping. "When someone asks me why I fill potholes, I tell them: I lost my child, and I don’t want you to lose yours. It is a tribute to my son. Whenever I fill a pothole, I feel I have saved someone. My son didn’t return, but somebody else’s son will go home safe."

The crusader’s message to the public is simple: “Don’t wait for others to act. Take responsibility for your community.”

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