Uday Kumar credits his achievement to the HMI team and captain Jai Kishan.
In a shocking and daring feat, 35-year-old Uday Kumar, who is 91% disabled above the knees, climbed Mount Rhenock in Sikkim. Kumar etched his name in the history of mountaineering with his astonishing achievements and journey to conquer the 16,500-foot peak of Kanchenjunga National Park in West Sikkim.
The expedition was organized by the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) in Darjeeling.
Kumar and the HMI team started climbing to the summit on March 5 and ended on March 18. During his climb to the summit, Kumar climbed steep slopes and faced unpredictable weather conditions. But along the way, he persevered, and every step brought him one step closer to his goal.
The expedition reached a historic moment when Kumar became the first amputee to unfurl the largest Indian flag (measuring 780 square feet) on the summit of Rhinoceros.
Kumar credits his achievement to the HMI team and captain Jai Kishan. “This is all possible thanks to captain Jai Kishan and the HMI team. For a man with a severed spinal cord and no legs, with only four toes on his legs, only three of which were functional, climbing 16,500 Height seemed like a distant dream,” he said.
“Apart from this, Covid also affected my morale. But after that, I met Jai Kishan sir. He motivated me and guided me every day. I learned a lot in my life at HMI,” he added.
Kumar plans to continue his mountaineering journey and conquer higher mountains. “Rhynock Mountain is just the beginning, there’s a lot more to be done,” he said.
This feat not only earned Kumar a place in the annals of mountaineering history, but also set a new world record for the largest flag unfurled by a disabled person.
