Chanchal Soni, 14, has just completed a 10-day ascent of Nepal’s Everest Base Camp expedition (5364 meters) using crutches, making him the world’s youngest single-leg amputee climber.
Chanchal, a resident of the Dhamtari district, considers it a significant achievement for someone so young. She was part of the mission, along with Chitrasen Sahu, a double-leg amputee mountaineer from Chhattisgarh.
Chitrasen’s ‘Mission Inclusion’ has only one goal: to empower amputees and provide them societal acceptance. Its goal was to promote equality, establish a barrier-free environment, and boost amputee mobility.
The journey featured people with various disabilities, genders, ages, and communities, according to Chitrasen. A total of nine people completed the campaign successfully.
The team set off on April 24 for Mount Everest base camp, which is located at a height of 5,364 meters, and returned on May 3 in a record-breaking 10 days instead of 17.
Soni, who was born in the village of Nari in the state of Chhattisgarh on January 15, 2008, was quick to accept and love her impairment. “I was born in this way.” However, as a child, I was a restless child who would climb trees and scale walls with ease when playing. People would say I can climb mountains with ease based on my agility. My aunt told me about those who climb mountains when I was a teenager. That image lingered with me and became my fantasy. “I’ve been determined to do mounting (mountaineering) since then,” Soni explained.
Soni, who is a single amputee (below knee), reached Mount Everest base camp alongside nine other climbers from Chhattisgarh just last month, becoming the world’s youngest single-leg amputee climber. Chitrasen Sahu, a double amputee from Chhattisgarh, was in charge of the mission. One of the goals of his “Mission Inclusion” project is to improve society’s attitude toward people with disabilities. A visually impaired judo player, a blade runner, and a member of the LGBTQ+ community were among the nine squad members, in addition to Soni and Sahu.
