PURI: Kalpana Dash was hospitalised late on Friday night. The 45-year-old, who had scaled the treacherous peaks of Himalayas to become the first from Orissa to conquer Mount Everest, has not been able to take the fight with the state government any longer.
Having stopped taking food since Thursday to pressure the government into giving in to her demands of a promised government job and land, she lost consciousness at about 11.45 pm and was taken to the district headquarters hospital first but was shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack immediately.
Over the last week, Kalpana had been the focus of attention in the pilgrim city as she had resorted to a “Mouna” (silent) dharna at the main entrance of Lord Jagannath Temple seeking justice. She was promised government job but has not been provided so far despite her running from pillar to post. The mountaineer’s protest and begging alms in front of the abode of Lord Jagannath was symbolic of the fact that her last refuge was the Almighty Himself.
In May 2008, when Kalpana conquered Everest, felicitations had poured in even as she was taken ill immediately after her conquest. When she returned home in June, she was accorded a hero’s welcome. She was given a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh by the State Government which announced a patch of land for her in Bhubaneswar and promised a job.
Although her health condition poured cold water on her expedition plans for Mt Kilimanjaro, she did not lose hope. She then prepared for McKinley, North America’s highest peak. However, the government job did not come her way. Three years hence, it still eludes her.
A law-degree holder and a native of Sariapada in Dhenkanal district, Kalpana had to struggle to arrange funds for her Everest expedition. “I just want that the State Government should pay respect to sportspersons,” she wrote on a piece of paper when asked about her agitation.