FASTEST AND FITTEST, SOLDIER AMPUTEE BATTLES THE ODDS

CHANDIGARH: True to his name, havildar Ajay Kumar is invincible.

A native of Karoli village in Kosli tehsil of Haryana’s Rewari district, the 37-year-old is a proud gallantry award winner who suffered a below knee amputation in the left leg due to grievous injuries sustained in combat. But that didn’t stop him from becoming the fastest and fittest member of the team of differently abled trekkers, who conquered the world’s highest battlefield on September 11.

Havildar Ajay believes dreams come true because his did. Two decades ago, he recalls how just four days before his Class 12 exams, the postman called out for him, insisting Ajay receives it himself. The letter was from the Indian Army, confirming his selection as a soldier. “My childhood dream had come true! I stuffed my books at one place and packed my bag to board the next train to report at the training centre,” he says.

Test of endurance and skills

Cut to the present. His amputation did not deter him from pursuing his dreams. He turned out to be the fastest and the fittest on the expedition despite being the only leg amputee, an army officer organising the mission said.

After three weeks of training and acclimatisation, the expedition started from Siachen base camp on September 7 to reach Kumar Post on September 11. The challenging terrain not only tested the physical endurance and mental stamina of the trekkers, but also their ice-craft skills. “We had to climb about 15 km in 8-9 hours on the glacier each day to reach the next camp, where we would halt for the night before resuming the march early in the morning,” Ajay adds.