Meet Ritesh Vaigankar, Goa’s first person with 88 per cent severe disability and a right leg amputee from Bicholim, who successfully trekked to the Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal earlier this month.
Ritesh’s remarkable achievement involved traversing the entire 75 km path, ascending to the base camp in just four days.
That’s isn't all; he is the only Goan with a leg amputation who didn’t stop after reaching base camp. Instead, he challenged and pushed himself to walk back down the entire 75 km path.
Showcasing his unwavering resilience and determination, Ritesh shared his inspiring journey with Gomantak Times Digital, highlighting the support he received from Tinkesh Ability Foundation and Advait Outdoors, who lead India’s largest inclusive treks, promoting both inclusion and outdoor adventure.
Every obstacle on the trail reminded me of hospital beds, rehab sessions, phantom pains, but also of how much I have overcome
Ritesh Vaigankar, trekker
SLOW AND STEADY
His journey towards self-motivation began with small steps. "In 2019, I started with 2 km walks in local Goa marathons. With determination and the support of Tinkesh Ability Foundation’s advanced prosthesis, I gradually progressed to 5 km runs, and by 2024, I was running at a fast pace," says 37-year-old Ritesh, who was electrocuted in an accident in 2003.
After the accident, life didn’t just change for Ritesh, it paused. “I had to re-learn how to move, how to adapt, and more importantly, how to dream again. Even after the accident, I would have seizures.
Coming out of the house without family, outside my comfort zone, is a biggest achievement for me. That process built a kind of mental resilience in me that no gym or training could have provided.”
TOUGH BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE
Trekking on these terrains wouldn’t be easy, especially with the uneven surface, altitude, weather, and where everything posed a challenge. But Ritesh looked at it with determination.
“I approached it with the mindset of someone who had already faced rock bottom and made it out. Every obstacle on the trail reminded me of hospital beds, rehab sessions, phantom pains, but also of how much I have overcome,” says Ritesh, who, being a right leg amputee, had to prepare for the trek well in advance.
I want to collaborate with trekking groups and organisations to create more adaptive trekking programmes, raise awareness and ensure trails and gear are more accessible for people with disabilities
Ritesh Vaigankar, trekker
“I had to plan ahead, train smart, listen to my body, and respect its limits without letting them define me. This wasn’t just an expedition, it was a statement. I’m more than my prosthesis, more than my scars. I am capable and I belong in the mountains too,” says Ritesh, who is a vocational instructor at Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in Bicholim.
ON A PROSTHESIS AND PRAYER
Gaining confidence from this trek, Ritesh is now planning more treks, possibly exploring routes like the Valley of Flowers, Goechala trek or Sandakphu trek.
“I want to collaborate with trekking groups and organisations to create more adaptive trekking programmes, raise awareness and ensure trails and gear are more accessible for people with disabilities,” says Ritesh, who is deeply committed to promoting inclusivity in outdoor sports.
The trick was ‘ek kadam ek saans’ I kept to this trick of one step, one breath for the rest of my trek till reaching the top at the ABC base camp. I remembered this from the film Uunchai (2022) starring Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher.
Ritesh Vaigankar, trekker
MOTIVATED BY A MOVIE
Can a movie trick help a mountain climber? Well, it worked for Ritesh. “The most challenging for me was breathing at high altitude as I survived from TB last year. When the trek started, breathing was easy but as I reached higher altitude breathing was the most difficult part due to low oxygen levels."
That was when he recalled a movie he had watched. "Then I remembered the movie Uunchai (2022) starring Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Parineeti Chopra and Neena Gupta. The trick was ‘ek kadam ek saans’ I kept to this trick of one step one breath for the rest of my trek till reaching the top at the ABC base camp,” laughs Ritesh.
SUPPORT AND LOVE
But all this could not be possible without support. Ritesh had the support of fellow trekkers, telephonic conversations with family and the beauty around him. “There was an internal voice saying ‘You’ve survived worse. You’ve got this’, it all added fuel to my mental fire,” he says as he signs out to travel from Nepal to Goa.