New Delhi:
"Ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough, ain't no river wide enough!"
That Marvin Gaye classic sums up the life of Magan Bissa. The 54-year-old lived a life most of us can only fantasise about - life that came with its share of rough weather, avalanches and accidents.
For most of his life, Magan Bissa literally scaled new heights. A highly decorated mountaineer, paragliding expert and hot air balloonist, he was part of the 1984 expedition that saw India's first woman scale Mt Everest.
But in his latest attempt at scaling the world's highest mountain, he was injured and is now bedridden. With no help from the authorities, his life has 'avalanched' into despair.
"The doctor said he has developed gangrene in both his intestines. 18 feet of his 22-feet-long small intestine has had to be cut off, which is very dangerous. Doctors say only a few survive," explains his wife Sushma. She was part of that fatal expedition; they were hoping to be the first Indian couple to scale Mt Everest together.
Today, Magan is tied to the bed. Sushma is constantly by his side, but helpless when she sees the medical bills mounting at Rs 25,000 a day. Not the government, nor the Sports Ministry, not even the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering that organised the trip, has offered help.
"The expedition had a budget of Rs 2,500 crore. We are yet to get any of it. Save the helicopter, the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering provided nothing. The institute sent me a letter saying we need to pay Rs 1 lakh for the chopper services. I was hurt," says Sushma.
Mt Everest eluded Magan Bissa in 1984, when he decided to turn back with barely 300 metres to go - to help a fellow mountaineer who was injured. This time, hes the one who needs help.
If you would like to help Magan Bissa, you can post/courier Account Payee Cheques to:
SB A/C No 61001858883
State Ban of Bikaner and Jaipur,
Bikaner City Branch
Code No 10164, IFSC No SBBJ 0010164
That Marvin Gaye classic sums up the life of Magan Bissa. The 54-year-old lived a life most of us can only fantasise about - life that came with its share of rough weather, avalanches and accidents.
For most of his life, Magan Bissa literally scaled new heights. A highly decorated mountaineer, paragliding expert and hot air balloonist, he was part of the 1984 expedition that saw India's first woman scale Mt Everest.
But in his latest attempt at scaling the world's highest mountain, he was injured and is now bedridden. With no help from the authorities, his life has 'avalanched' into despair.
"The doctor said he has developed gangrene in both his intestines. 18 feet of his 22-feet-long small intestine has had to be cut off, which is very dangerous. Doctors say only a few survive," explains his wife Sushma. She was part of that fatal expedition; they were hoping to be the first Indian couple to scale Mt Everest together.
Today, Magan is tied to the bed. Sushma is constantly by his side, but helpless when she sees the medical bills mounting at Rs 25,000 a day. Not the government, nor the Sports Ministry, not even the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering that organised the trip, has offered help.
"The expedition had a budget of Rs 2,500 crore. We are yet to get any of it. Save the helicopter, the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering provided nothing. The institute sent me a letter saying we need to pay Rs 1 lakh for the chopper services. I was hurt," says Sushma.
Mt Everest eluded Magan Bissa in 1984, when he decided to turn back with barely 300 metres to go - to help a fellow mountaineer who was injured. This time, hes the one who needs help.
If you would like to help Magan Bissa, you can post/courier Account Payee Cheques to:
SB A/C No 61001858883
State Ban of Bikaner and Jaipur,
Bikaner City Branch
Code No 10164, IFSC No SBBJ 0010164
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