by Mamta Rawat: Now almost 29 years old, Mamta Rawat saved hundreds of lives during the 2013 Uttarakhand flood disaster. Mamta, who came out of her house on 17 June 2013, did not even care about her falling house during the floods and came as an angel for the people trapped in the flood. Mamta of Bankholi village, located in the upper part of Uttarkashi, received a Certificate in Mountaineering from Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM).
When Mamta Rawat was in her village Bankholi that day a call on her mobile phone revealed that a group of school children who had gone for trekking on the Himalayas were trapped in torrential rains. she managed to reach fast among the trapped children and she brought them down safely. By the time she came down, the flood had come in its gruesome form. During this, calls started coming to Rawat to save the people trapped at different places. As far as possible, Mamta put all her efforts in saving the lives of the people. However, her own house was completely destroyed in this disaster.
At an early age her father died
Mamta’s father Ramchandra Singh Rawat used to maintain his family by running a farming and tea shop. Mamta is third among 4 children of her parents. When Mamta was only 10 years old, the father’s shadow rose from her head, but she did not lose courage. Although Mamta is a drop out of school, she worked hard to feed the family of 6 people.
Those who protested, now praise
She works as a part time trainer at NIM. She also acts as a guide for trekkers to earn some extra money. It was not easy for Mamata to choose this profession and she had to face stiff opposition from her society. Most of the people of this society believed that this is the work of men, but Mamta did not change her intentions. She is now training mountain guides to the women around her as well. Now the situation is that people want to see their daughters becoming like Mamata. The same fearless, the same brave, and the same person who lives for others.
