Sudarshan Gautam


Sudarshan Gautam is the first person without arms to have reached the summit of Mount Everest without the use of prosthetics. He did this on May 20, 2013. Gautam lost his arms in an accident in childhood. He now lives in Canada. In 2014, he appeared in the Nepali movie, Himmatwali.

Life and education

Gautam was born in Bhauduri, a village in the Ramechhap District, Nepal. As a boy, growing up in Kathmandu, where his parents had moved, he had an accident with a live power cable that led to the amputation of both of his arms.
Gautam received a Diploma in Computer Science using a non-modified computer with his feet. He received a master's degree from the Nepal Commerce Campus.
In 2007, Gautam became a citizen of Canada. He is married with one child, a son. Gautam lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Mountaineering

Prior to climbing Mount Everest, Gautam reached the peaks of Mount Ramdung and Mount Yala.
On May 19, 2013, while descending from Mount Everest, Gautam required a high altitude helicopter rescue.

Awards

On June 30, 2013, NRN-Canada, the national organization of Nepali Diaspora in Canada, honored Gautam as an outstanding Nepali Diaspora member. He was their brand ambassador from 2014 to 2016. In 2014, Gautam was received into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame. In May 2017, he received a South Asian Canadian Trailblazers Award. On November 2017 Sudarshan Gautam has been chosen one of the ten Canadian for Toyota globel campion. He has also received a Compelling Calgarians Award.

Acting

In 2014, Gautam appeared in the Nepali movie, Himmatwali with Rekha Thapa. In January 2017, Gautam hosted the Nepali Film Fair in Canada.