Faith scales new heights

68-year-old Delhiite completes Kailash Mansarovar Yatra while battling prostate cancer

Faith scales new heights

68-year-old Delhiite completes Kailash Mansarovar Yatra while battling prostate cancer

He had always wanted to make a pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar but could not due to some family problems. And when 68-year-old Gauri Shankar Gupta from the Capital finally made plans to go with his family around a year back, he found out he had prostate cancer.

Gauri Shankar Gupta (above) made a successful trip to the Kailash
Mansarovar in spite of having prostrate cancer

"A large number of doctors suggested that I should go for an operation but I was really apprehensive about surgery. So I opted for the treatment by radiation," Gauri Shankar said.

"We gave him radiotherapy as the people above the age of 60 should not go for surgery. It is quite risky at this age," said Dr Dinesh Singh, Director Radiation Oncology, Galaxy Cancer Institute who was involved in Gauri Shankar's treatment. So after treatment, he decided to go ahead with his pilgrimage. His faith was firm. And up he went to about 4,556 m (14947.5 ft) braving harsh weather and difficult terrain to reach what the Puranas describe as the centre of the universe.

"Having a darshan of Mount Kailash was a blessing in itself. The whole journey was a great experience for me. I felt as if God himself had called me to visit that place after my operation. I virtually went running up the mountain without thinking of what I had gone through. I scaled heights and came back happily as I felt perfectly normal and healthy like any other earnest pilgrim," said Gauri Shankar.

Coming back from the pilgrimage, Gauri Shankar found himself to be quite relaxed and happy man. "The radiation therapy was really helpful. The final reports concluded that 90 per cent of my cancer has been cured," he said. After getting fully cured, he now plans for a vacation with his family. "I will now try to go on a foreign tour with my family. Now, my health is also perfect so I would definitely go for the trip," he said.