On one of the busiest streets in Kathmandu’s Thamel tourism hub is a red, three-storey building with a board outside which reads, “Seeing Hands Nepal.”
It is the first and only professional massage clinic operated in Nepal by visually impaired people.
Recently, either the lobby or the building has been a regular place to visit for visually impaired Amit K C. It is here that he meets people, shares his unique ideas and tries to generate funds for his upcoming ambitious project. The clinic belongs to his friend, who is also visually impaired, Xinhua reports.
His talks and daily routine revolve around the 34-year-old’s plans to scale the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, this spring season. Though Mt Everest has already been conquered by a blind American, Erik Weihenmayer in 2001, Amit will be the first blind climber from the Nepalese community.
Being blind by birth, Amit wants to encourage other disabled people to make the effort to access various kinds of resources and opportunities through his expedition.
“If I succeeded in this mission, it will inspire all youths and disabled people who have potential but are frustrated by a lack of opportunities. When I will wave the flag of my nation on Mt Everest, the world will know more about Nepal,” said Amit.
Originally from a rural village in the western district of Baglung, Amit holds a master’s degree in sociology and served as a teacher in a local primary school for a few years.
His monthly salary was $130, which made it hard to take care of his four-member family, but yet he was happy.
It was only after meeting with an American motivational trainer a decade back in Nepal that Amit thought of changing his way of life and started dreaming of climbing Everest.
To materialise his dream, Amit left teaching five years ago and started preparing for his planned expedition physically, mentally and financially. Initially, he took up rock climbing and mountaineering by generating resources from relatives and friends.
In the absence of a fixed household income, his sighted wife Bidhya has been running a beauty parlor to support the family’s livelihood and education of their two children.
As to his mountaineering achievements to date, Amit has already scaled two 6,000m peaks as part of physical test.
In 2015, he climbed the 6,189m Island Peak and in 2016 he scaled the 6,476m Mera Peak, both of which were huge successes. These achievements worked as a motivational factor for Amit to eye the mountain.
However, raising funds has been like climbing another mountain for him. And while his date to leave for the mission is approaching, Amit has yet to meet the financial requirement of around $100,000.
“The expedition cost is higher compared to regular climbers due to the requirement of additional manpower and logistics. I have approached all quarters of society and am hopeful that the funds will come through. Let’s see where life leads,” he said.
The Nepalese government has provided support equivalent to $15,400 to Amit by providing some cash along with removing its royalty fee and garbage disposal fee among other taxes.
Amit is scheduled to leave for the Everest region in mid-April under the guide of expedition company Sherpa Shepherds.
NEPAL
