Skip to main content

Indian mountaineers summit an unnamed peak





Tem Tapung (Arunachal Pradesh), Sabyasachi Samanta (West Bengal), Dr Avantika Kekan (Maharashtra), Dr Subhendu Sikder (West Bengal), Prakruti Alagudekar (Karnataka), Shubham Thapliyal (Uttarakhand) and Joy Das (West Bengal)


A team led by Subhajit Banerjee took on a challenging task -- exploring a new untested route in Lahaul valley, south of Ladakh. Starting from Manali on September 3, the team reached the summit after 10 days.  

“It’s a matter of pride for mountaineers that a new route has been opened! exclaims Dr Avantika Kekan, who was one of the two medicos in the team. 

The journey was far from easy, especially on the less-travelled mountain paths, where even the best laid plans can come to a naught. 




“During our 10-day expedition, we had only a two-day window of clear weather. It was snowing, some days it was windy. Our cook faced acute mountain sickness and had to be evacuated. At Camp 1, I had no idea that the water source froze overnight and it thawed after 10 am on clear day; I had to ration water for the team,” adds Subhajit, a professional mountaineer. Due to these challenges, the team fittingly named the new route, ‘Nirjala’ – meaning without water. 

When asked if he preferred leading a team on tried and tested popular route, or an unexplored peak, Subhajit chooses the latter. “Many expeditions in the Indian Himalayas attempt the same peaks again and again. I have an interest in unnamed, unclimbed peaks, discovering new routes. I want to give something to the sport,” he says.

Subhajit's team took photos, videos and GPS measurements of the summit, recording the height of the peak as 6,068 m (32° 53' 289" N, 77° 08' 745" E).

“According to a document found in Indian Mountaineering Foundation’s library, the first ascent on this peak was made in 2002, in the pre-GPS era, pegging its height as 6,030 m. Another team from UK and USA, led by Andy Nisbet in 2015, recorded the height of the summit 6,010 m. But we ascended the peak through a completely new route, the East face of the mountain and gained the south ridge leading to the summit. Our measurements of the peak at 6,068 m match with the Google map readings,” explains Subhajit.

The thrill of exploring the unknown is powerful, but experienced mountaineers know that it is also a true test of character.  “At a certain altitude, you lose energy and feel stressed both mentally and physically. You are torn between being looking out for your self and helping others. Mountains show you your true colours,” says Avantika.

Prakruti, who runs a trekking organisation, shares, “There were times when my body had given up, but I pushed myself mentally. On one occasion, I was close to tears, maybe because I was about to start my period. But the team supported me.”

Problem-solving is also a key skill on such expeditions.  “We were short of 200 metre rope for summit attempt. Any other team leader would have said that we can’t continue, but Subhajit Dada was determined. He left in the evening for base camp and walked till the road and then he took a lift to Manali. He bought rope there and returned to Camp 1, next day by 11 a.m. He made that summit possible,” adds Prakruti. Truly, mountains show what you are made of!

 

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Valu and more

Visited Poman Pimpale village where Marathi picture Valu was shot. --- Documentary la chala… came the shout and Poman Pimpale villagers slowly started gathering at the village square. The children were already there, jostling each other, eager to see the ‘documentary’ – Marathi film Valu, which was shot in this village, some 14 kms away from Saswad. On the occasion of the film completing 50 successful days, the cast and crew of Valu, decided to host a special screening for the villagers on Saturday as a tribute. As Umesh Kulkarni, the director of Valu says, “ The movie is a collaborative venture of the villagers and myself. Valu is theirs as much as it is mine.” You just need to mingle with the crowd to find out what Umesh says is true - it’s their movie that the villagers have gathered to see. Pradeep Poman, a village elder, says that they enjoyed the whole film making process. “It had become a past time for us. Whenever we had some time to spare, we just went to see the shooting. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Portrait of a poet

This has already been published in the Sunday supplement. Krishnaji Keshav Damle also known as Keshavsut --- Poetry never really appealed to me. And, so it was with great reluctance that I agreed to my husband's plan to visit Keshavsut Smarak – a memorial raised in memory of 'Father of Modern Marathi Poetry', Krishnaji Keshav Damle – in Malgund. We were in Ganapatipule at that time and decided to go to Malgund, a 10-minute drive (a kilometre) from the popular tourist destination. A sign-post told us to take a left turn and what greeted us, at the end of the lane, was tranquil silence. No security guards, no tourists, just a plaque announcing that Damle, popularly known as Keshavsut, was born in the red-roofed house, surrounded by green shrubbery. Keshavsut's house in Malgund  A poem by Keshavsut  The house, renovated in the old style, was near-empty, except for Keshavsut's portrait that was hanging from the wall in the front room. In the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Caste Away (Interview with Rasika Agashe)

In my interaction with actor Rasika Agashe, I could find myself nodding every now and then, chuckling at the hypocrisy that we so deeply embrace. Agashe is coming to Pune, her hometown, with her Hindi play, Sat Bhashe Raidas to be staged at 16 th Rangmahotsav, the annual national theatre festival, hosted by Maharashtra Cultural Centre. The play is based on Sant Rohidas/Raidas who questioned caste discrimination. The script of the play was written by Rajesh Kumar, from Lucknow, who submitted it as an entry to Sanhita Manch, a script writing competition organised by Agashe and her husband Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub's cultural venture, Being Association. The question of identity “ Sat Bhashe Raidas is about bout asprushyata (untouchability) and Brahmanvaad (not to be mistaken with anti-Brahminism). Rohidas was Kabir's contemporary and he questioned the hierarchy of caste in 15 th century. We have been having shows of the play in towns and cities like Jamkhed, Nanded, Aura...
Post a Comment
Read more