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Panaji: After scaling the Mount Everest base camp using his prosthetic limbs, Goa-based adventure enthusiast and triple amputee, Tinkesh Kaushik, is leading an inclusive group on a Himalayan expedition to the Annapurna base camp in Nepal. The group has six persons with disabilities and nine non-disabled persons.
Tinkesh Kaushik and his inclusive team bound for Annapurna
“This is the largest inclusive expedition from across India to one of the most iconic Himalayan destinations,” Kaushik told TOI. “The aim is to send a powerful message to the world that dreams know no disability.” Kaushik, who has a 90% locomotor disability, reached the Everest base camp last year. He is the founder of Tinkesh Ability Foundation.
“I was excited all through the planning stage, but now that we are here, the sense of adventure and desire to achieve this record is at a fever pitch,” he said.
The team also includes a senior citizen Girish, embracing adventure in his later years, and Sydenstrica, the co-founder of TAF, who at 57 has a record of several treks and adventures.
After Kaushik completed the Mount Everest base camp mission last May, many persons with disabilities got in touch with him, telling him they too wanted to test their limits. His foundation then sent Chhonzin Angmo, a woman with 100% visual impairment, to the same base camp and was inspired to hear that a group of 90 Israelis trekked to the Annapurna base camp last year.
“The group had 34 persons with disabilities and 12 wheelchair users who were carried up for this experience. India has never attempted anything on this scale,” Sydenstrica said. An inclusive trek allows non-disabled persons to experience what it’s like for people with disabilities to achieve such a feat, Sydenstrica said.
Kaushik has been constantly challenging his physical bounds and mental strength and wants other persons with disabilities with the same mindset along. “I want them too to experience the same sense of accomplishment,” he said.
