Double amputation no barrier for this Sagarmatha summiteer

Kathmandu, May 23

Tuesday proved to be a very busy day for Hari Budha Magar, a 'double-amputee above knees', who returned to the Capital after conquering Sagarmatha with a new record. He reached the top of the world with prosthetics and successfully conducted the journey down to Camp 2.

He received a grand welcome at the Tribhuvan International Airport by Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Sudan Kirati, his relatives and well-wishers, was taken to Thamel in an open roof vehicle where he interacted with journalists, got another welcome by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda at his office, and rushed to his residence to celebrate the birthday of his father, Purai Budha Magar, 73.

Meanwhile, President Ramchandra Paudel sent an appreciation letter to the record-holder climber from Rolpa district in Lumbini Province. President Paudel congratulated him for his dedication, courage and perseverance and said that his feat would remain as a motivating factor for future generations. President's daughter, Awagya Paudel and Press Advisor, Kiran Pokhrel, handed over the letter to Hari at a media interaction in Thamel.

Hari and his team successfully reached atop Sagarmatha, 8849 metre, on Friday, May 19.

 

Life-threatening feat

However, things in the mountains were dreadful and life-threatening.

Hari was slower than other able-bodied people, needed more help from his colleagues and Sherpa guides.

"Many times I felt like abandoning the expedition to Sagarmatha in the middle and return to the base camp. But I was destined to succeed and set a record," Hari, 43, said with the journalists. The greater urgency was felt at the Balcony, near the top of Sagarmatha. His oxygen was finished and was exchanged with a new cylinder but after a while he felt difficulties in breathing, legs becoming colder and hand numb.

"I thought it could be the last moment. I remembered my 10-year-old son who was very anxious about my Everest expedition," he said, his eyes full of tears.

Later Mingma checked his oxygen cylinder to find that it had a leakage.

His brother Nanda Budha Magar got his hand broken after being hit by a stone. Hari was airlifted to Sagarmatha Base Camp in a chopper from Camp 2. Since the weather window was longer this year, there was no traffic jam there.

According to Hari, the international media have portrayed the Himalayas, specially Sagarmatha, as a dreadful and forbidding mountain, sending terror to the young members of the families of the mountaineers that dream to climb the mountain.

And, they were partly true. The mountains are highly unpredictable. Hari and his team had to stay at the base camp for 18 days waiting for the weather to clear.

"It was not me who climbed the mountain. It was a team work. Without my team, the success wouldn't have been happened," said Hari appreciating the support of his 25-member team with tearful eyes.

 

A pride of being a Nepali

Buddha, Gurkha and Sagarmatha. The three elements that make the international identity of Nepal and its people.

Hari has all three of them. "I am a Gurkha, I am a Buddhist, and I just conquered Sagarmatha," he remarked.

He grew up watching Dhaulagiri and Sisne peaks in the Himalayas from the orchard of his home in Mirul Village of Rolpa. "As every Nepali child, I was told the story of Sagarmatha, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay many times which only increased my interest in the mountains," said the Gurkha veteran who had lost his both legs in an explosion in Afghanistan in 2010. He was deployed there by the British Army. 

But his job at the British Gurkha Army couldn't offer any spare time needed to climb Sagarmatha. He had no time, training and funds to realise his dream. Later, when he was psychologically ready for the expedition, Government of Nepal banned people without both legs and eyes from climbing Himalayan mountains. It again, delayed the adventure.

He had earlier successfully climbed Mont Blanc (4810 metres) in Europe, Kilimanjaro (5895m) in Tanzania, Africa, Chulu Far East (6,059m) and Mera Peak (6476m). His success at Mera Peak in 2017 made him the first above-knee double amputee to summit a mountain higher than 6,000 metres. He also has records for becoming the first person in the category to reach Sagarmatha Base Camp and skydiving.

 

Opportunity to people with disability

Now, Hari wants to launch a foundation to support people with disability with skill, courage and livelihood. His areas of interest are sports and adventure, empowerment, and mountain and Sherpa community.

"There is a need to change the mindset of the policy makers as well. People with disability don't want sympathy but opportunity in their life. There is a great need of running an awareness campaign," he said.

He stated that people judge them for their disability or the shortcomings which should be changed as early as possible. 

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 24 May 2023.