Mount Everest dream of UP mountaineer hits roadblock

MIRZAPUR/LUCKNOW: The trajectory of a

hiker's dream

has to be as high as the Everest. Kajal Patel, a young mountaineer from Hinauti Mafi, a remote village in

Mirzapur

, jumped in joy when her dream of going on an Everest expedition seemed a reality.



The 20-year-old is among 20 Indians selected for a Nepalese expedition to the world's highest peak. But Kajal's dream has hit a roadblock as this daughter of a small farmer doesn't have Rs 25 lakh to pay the fees and other expenses such as cost of equipment and insurance for the expedition.

"I have written to PM Narendra Modi, CM Yogi Adityanath and our MP Anupriya Patel requesting them to sponsor my expedition," Kajal told TOI.

Kajal's journey of becoming a mountaineer is exemplary as she hails from a place where one in two women is illiterate and 33% girls get married before they turn 18. Kajal left for Varanasi to pursue BSc in mathematics from a Banaras Hindu University affiliated college. There she got the opportunity to join the 77 Air Squadron unit of the National Cadet Corps as an open category candidate.

Later, she was selected for the basic course in mountaineering at the National Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Arunachal Pradesh. The course paved way for her selection for an expedition to Mount Ladakhi in 2017. She also received the Defence Secretary medal for the exemplary cadet in the Ladakhi expedition.

"The good news came with a cost we cannot bear," rued her father Sant Ram, who owns just 10 bigha land.

Kajal's mother Durgawati said: "Many people dream but only a few get the chance to fulfil them. I am praying for a miracle." Kajal's mentor Colonel Shamsher Singh Yadav is all praise for his student. "Kajal may come from a remote village but she is way ahead of many when it comes to focus and determination. She puts in hard work and is a great team player," he told TOI.