Five students from Chandrapur tribal ashram school did something, which is an ultimate example of endurance, hard work, patience and above all courage, for everyone to wake up and take notice. These kids from- what the people call as deprived and marginalized strata- has once again shown the world what stories of success are built upon.
‘Mission Shaurya’ as its name suggests, is a story of a dream which people from the tribal area of Chandrapur District had dared to dream and fulfil it. It was a joint initiative of the state Tribal department and Chandrapur Collectorate to scale Everest. The idea behind it was to mainstream the tribal student and give them exposure. In its first year in 2018, it attracted a lot of curiosity and skepticism alike from across not only India but from the entire world. Out of the hundreds that applied five students ultimately achieved the feat including a girl student and scaled the Everest to the amazement of the world and paved the way for many to follow.
This year too, 11 students were selected and trained for this mission’s second chapter. The training process was extensive and needed lot acclimatization. The basic training was given by the Gyan Bharati skill development centre at Wardha.
The students were given foundation course which included foundations of adventure, preparedness and teamwork after that they were tested for advanced winter training sessions in Leh and Ladakh. That was followed by the basic mountaineering course in Hyderabad and later in Darjeeling. They were trained to scale peaks as high as 17000 feet so that they can adapt to climate at Everest’s height of 29,000 feet.
They were trained to store water, edibles and techniques of controlling the respiration. In Leh, they were taught to walk in the freeze lakes and survive at a temperature as low as minus 35-degree centigrade. During this training process, students were taught to keep mental situation, diet, nutritious values and other necessary requirements under their control. 11 students out of those who performed well during all these trainings were selected for ‘Mission Shaurya- 2019’ where they have to climb Mount Everest.
Manisha Dhurve, the tribal girl from Dewada Ashram School from Chandrapur district, who had achieved this feat and being the only girl from the team to achieve success, describes this as the biggest thing of her life. “I can dream of even bigger things in life now…and I don’t fear that I should not be dreaming these things as I now know that nothing is impossible,” said the proud girl.
For Sudhir Mungantiwar, Cabinet Minister for Finance and planning and Forests, this is a cause which is close to its heart, making sure that the achievers are taken care of. The achievers were given cash prizes to the tune of Rs 25 lakhs and kids who couldn’t make it were also lauded for their stupendous efforts and were awarded Rs 10 lakhs. They were also given jobs in the state police force.
The mission now has taken a life of its own for others to follow and dream the ultimate dream.
