Nandapur (Koraput): Kush Alarba of Alarputa village in Nandapur block of Koraput district has made the state and country proud by scaling Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa.
Even though the whole country is proud of Kush, the district administration seems least bothered about his achievements. Forget monetary help, the administration did not even give him a bouquet when he returned.
“Yes, I felt bad. If I could get some monetary help for my future expeditions and my family, I would be greatly obliged,” Kush said.
Born to a tribal family, Kush started schooling from Hankiput Seva Ashram. After Class III, his parents shifted him to KISS in Bhubaneswar where he took the matriculation exam.
After completing HSC, he joined Koraput Autonomous College for Plus II and graduation. He was active in the NCC at college.
Kush stood first during a summer adventure camp held at Manali in 2017 where he met his coach Nrushicharan Sahu. After that, there was no looking back for Kush.
As per his coach’s direction, Kush joined the Darjeeling Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in 2018 and passed out with an ‘A’ grade. Later, he was sent for training to Bhubaneswar.
He got the call to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania January 21, 2019. He was joined by Lipika Seth, a girl from Bargarh, and the duo successfully raised the Indian flag on the mountain.
Despite financial constraints, Kush manages to prove himself by undergoing his coach’s rigorous training. His next target is to climb the highest mountain peaks in all the seven continents including Mount Elbrus.
“My next target is to climb the highest mountain peaks in all the seven continents and Mount Elbrus is one of them. I request the administration to provide some help for my family and for my training,” Kush said.
Kush’s brother, Lachamu Alarba, said, “When we came to know about his achievement in Africa we were happy. We want him to achieve more.”
The people of the tribal village said with government help Kush can scale new heights and earn laurels for the country.
PNN