They are born fighters, but on a road from Jammu to Kashmir a bunch of mentally and physically challenged youths from Jamshedpur proved how special they really were.

Stuck inside a bus on the highway due to a sudden landslide, the special youths began an impromptu antakshari, clapping and singing film songs.

The 19 youths of the city, aged between 20 and 30 years, including seven girls, were on a trek to Pahalgam in Kashmir sponsored by the Union ministry of youth affairs and sports and Indian Mountaineering Foundation.

They were being escorted by six members of Jamshedpur NGO Astitwa. The members of the NGO said it was "amazing and humbling" to see special youths conquering nervousness when faced with a potentially life-threatening situation.

"We encountered heavy rain and landslide during the trip from Jammu to Kashmir on March 20. Heavy boulders crashed right in front of a car ahead of our bus. Stones and heavy rain rammed the roof of our bus," recalled team leader Sulekha Aikat, the general secretary of Astitwa.

Stuck, all vehicles moved at a snail's pace.

"That's when our special youths stunned us by starting a game of antakshari. Yes, they had been nervous, huddled together, some were feeling nauseous. But, when they got used to the situation, they rose to the challenge. How sporting," Aikat said.

The next few hours, as the road cleared slowly, the team continued to play antakshari.

Physically challenged Suman Nishad (23), a resident of Sonari, giggled. "We were frightened inside the bus due to bad weather, but as we were all together, we got courage."

The team reached Pahalgam and acclimatised itself for six days from March 21 to 26 at the Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports (JIM&WS) at Aru, Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir.

There, they engaged in rock climbing, rappelling, stream crossing and short treks. They attended lecture sessions by the JIM&WS faculty.

Then, they started trekking in the Himalayan mountain ranges near Kargil on March 27. "We reached 9,500ft. Snow lay scattered everywhere. Our special youths enjoyed themselves with snow fights," Sulekha said.

Visually challenged Mazrum Nisha (27) of Jugsalai chipped in, saying she had " bahut maza" on the trek.

Returning back to Jammu from Pahalgam in Kashmir on April 1, they faced the same situation. Stranded at Kazikund due to bad weather, they left for Jammu on April 2.

Physically, mentally and visually and hearing impaired youths took this delay in their stride. No one complained. "That's why they are special," Sulekha said.

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