by Shristi Kafle
KATHMANDU, April 4 (Xinhua) -- On one of the busiest streets in Kathmandu's Thamel tourism hub is a red, three-storey building with a board outside which reads, "Seeing Hands Nepal."
It is the first and only professional massage clinic operated in Nepal by visually impaired people.
Recently, either the lobby or the building has been a regular place to visit for visually impaired Amit KC. It is here that he meets people, shares his unique ideas and tries to generate funds for his upcoming ambitious project. The clinic belongs to his friend, who is also visually impaired.
His talks and daily routine revolve around the 34-year-old's plans to scale the world's highest peak, Mount Chomolungma, this spring season. Though Mt. Chomolungma has already been conquered by a blind American Erik Weihenmayer in 2001, Amit KC will be the first blind climber from the Nepalese community.
Being blind from birth, KC wants to encourage other disabled people to make the effort to access various kinds of resources and opportunities through his expedition.
"Mt. Chomolungma is renowned worldwide. If I succeeded in this mission, it will inspire all youths and disabled people who have potential but are frustrated by a lack of opportunities. When I will wave the flag of my nation on Mt. Chomolungma, the world will know more about Nepal," Amit KC told Xinhua in a recent interview.
Originally from a rural village in the western district of Baglung, KC holds a master's degree in sociology and served as a teacher in a local primary school for a few years.
His monthly salary was 130 U.S. dollars, which made it hard to take care of his four-member family, but yet he was happy.
It was only after meeting with an American motivational trainer a decade back in Nepal that Amit thought of changing his way of life and started dreaming of climbing Chomolungma.
To materialize his dream, Amit left teaching five years ago and started preparing for his planned expedition physically, mentally and financially. Initially, he took up rock climbing and mountaineering by generating resources from relatives and friends.
In the absence of a fixed household income, his sighted wife Bidhya KC has been running a beauty parlor to support the family's livelihood and education of their two children.
As to his mountaineering achievements to date, Amit has already scaled two 6,000 meter peaks as part of physical test.
In 2015, he climbed the 6,189-meter Island Peak and in 2016 he scaled the 6,476-meter Mera Peak, both of which were huge successes.
These achievements worked as a motivational factor for Amit to eye the mountain.
However, raising funds has been like climbing another mountain for this visually impaired person. And while his date to leave for the mission is approaching, Amit has yet to meet the financial requirement of around 100,000 U.S. dollars.
"The expedition cost is higher compared to regular climbers due to the requirement of additional manpower and logistics. I have approached all quarters of society and am hopeful that the funds will come through. Let's see where life leads," he told Xinhua.
The Nepalese government has provided support equivalent to one million rupees (15,400 U.S. dollars) to Amit by providing 500,000 rupees in cash along with removing its royalty fee and garbage disposal fee among other taxes.
Amit is scheduled to leave for the Chomolungma region in mid-April under the guide of expedition company Sherpa Shepherds.
Temba Dorje Sherpa of Sherpa Shepherds told Xinhua, "We are planning to send a team of seven members including two special guides for Amit's expedition. Those guides will accompany him around the clock and will pave the way for him. Since he has already climbed two mountains, he can easily achieve the goal despite his blindness."
According to the census carried out in 2011, about 2 percent of the total population of the country is living with one or more kinds of disability. Of the total population, 94,765 or 0.35 percent of the people are blind or partially sighted.
In Nepal, blindness is not simply a health problem, but also a social and economic problem. The new constitution of Nepal, promulgated in 2015, has provisions for people with disabilities which guarantee their social, political and economic rights.
However, due to limited mobility, illiteracy and the absence of opportunities, visually impaired people have a tough time living in this South Asian country.
Expressing sadness over the state's seeming indifference towards powerless commoners, Amit KC is of the view that more investment is necessary for disabled and blind people from both the government and the corporate sector.
"These days disabled people, including the blind, work in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) friendly environments. We use computers, mobile sets and even touch-screen mobiles. We are moving ahead with the concept that blind people cannot see with their eyes but can see with their hands. We just need more opportunities to prove ourselves," KC explained.
In regard to the mission, different individuals and organizations have committed to support him in his endeavor due to which he feels determined to see his dream through to fruition.
Chiran Poudel, a school friend of Amit KC and owner of a blind massage clinic, told Xinhua, "Amit's attempt is not only an inspiration for youths but also a slap in the face for those who are reluctant to provide care and support to blind people like us."
"As Amit's friend, I'm hugely committed to his mission and offer him my full mental, moral and financial support," Poudel said.
