A TEAM of differently-abled mountaineers from Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) displayed a 7,8000 sq ft Indian national flag at Mt Kilimanjaro, the highest peak of the African continent, the institute said in a press release. The team of differently-abled mountaineers began their expedition from Kanchenjunga National Park on August 4. The team led by Group Captain Jai Kishan, including Uday Kumar (Divyangjan), Capt Shruti, Sub Mahendra Kumar Yadav, Pawel Sharma, and Miss Sulaxchana Tamang, reached Uhuru Peak of Kilimanjaro on Thursday.

 

The Institute, in the press release, said, “After a gruelling 10-hour climb through treacherous terrain, including loose scree, an 85-degree gradient, and an alpine desert, the team achieved their goal. At 1300 hours, they reached the summit of Uhuru Peak, standing tall at 5,895 meters (19,341 feet), and once again displayed the 7,800 sq ft Indian national flag atop Kilimanjaro.” Group Captain Jai Kishan hailed this expedition as a historic achievement, particularly highlighting the courage and determination of Uday Kumar, an amputee climber who successfully completed the endeavour using crutches - a first in the history of mountaineering.