The 31-year-old, who hails from Mankha Valley, Sindhu Palchok, was injured in a bus accident in January 2011, which left his lower body paralysed.
The idea of setting on the 366km Lumbini Wheelchair Yatra came to him early this year. "While travelling on buses, I often noticed that passengers would easily lift 100kg potato sacks onto the vehicle, but when it came to helping me with my wheelchair, they would often hesitate," recalls Tamang.
The Yatra was his means to generate awareness of spinal injury, as well as to raise much needed funds for poor patients to access rehabilitation services at the Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Centre (SIRC) in Sangha, where he also works as a vocational training staff.
“If we remain confined within a room, the society will never acknowledge our presence, so we must go out and show the world what we are capable of," explains Tamang. Through the Yatra, Tamang also hoped to campaign for disability rights by reminding policy makers to prioritise disabled-friendly facilities.
Prior to this, Tamang had participated in the Kantipur Publication 3km national wheelchair race, where he placed 7th among 26 participants. To build up his stamina for the Yatra, Tamang wheeled up Sangha's hilly circuit every day. After months of preparation, his journey commenced on 24 March from Namo Buddha, the site where Buddhists believe Buddha sacrificed himself to save the life of a feeble tigress. Like the tigress which accepted Buddha’s sacrifice, Tamang considers himself as having received a second life through rehabilitation.
His harrowing journey included having to navigate narrow roads as huge buses overtook him at high speeds, stretches of steep terrain, and especially the unpleasant dusty, diesel-filled smoke section on the slopes from Naubise.
Along the way, Tamang made 21 presentations at various hospitals, community centres, rotary and lions clubs. He gave motivational speeches to other patients. In each presentation, he recited a self-penned song about spinal injury, rendered in the traditional 'gandharva' style, accompanied by the sarangi.
When he finally wheeled into the Maya Devi Temple on 18 April, he was greeted by the chants of monks. After Tamang paid homage to the temple, a welcome celebration was held at Lumbini’s Eternal Peace Flame.
Kanak Mani Dixit, founding chairman of SIRC, congratulated Ram Bahadur Tamang for his “unstinting effort” in spreading awareness about rescue, treatment and rehabilitation in relation to spinal injury.
Across Nepal, the number of people sustaining spinal injuries continues to arise due to accidents on an expanded road network.
Construction accidents are a growing problem as well, while traditional injuries such as trees falling continue to affect rural subsistence farmers. Founded in 2002, the SIRC has treated approximately 1150 patients from all over Nepal.
*Toh Ee Ming *
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