On May 17 2010, Vasant Sinha Roy and Debashis Biswas attained the dream of a lifetime: along with a small team of mountaineers, they stood on top of the tallest mountain in the world. Tamasa Ghosh and Debarati Chowdhury record the experience of these adventurous mountaineers.
“Great things are done, when men and mountains meet; This is not done by jostling in the street” – William Blake.
If exploration has an ultimate and all-approval drive, it is definitely this: placing yourself in a condition where blunders won’t be able to be unavoidably recovered. In fact, the uncanny inclination that prevails in mountaineers is not the hazard they take, but the great extent to which they value life. Obviously, one cannot reside in the summit forever; no matter what, you have to come back to land. So why bother, is the first question that comes to mind.
Ask Debashis Biswas, an income tax department employee, who along with his team member Vasant Sinha Roy, an avid mountaineer were the first to scale up 8,848 meter peak and reach the summit on May 17 2010 at 8:30 in the morning. Both men are from Kolkata. Both were members of Mountaineer’s Association of Krishnanagar (MAK) which conducted the expedition. When asked about his experience in the heights, Biswas is quick to react, “It was wonderful… an experience to cherish for lifetime.” According to Sinha Roy, it is nothing but extreme love for nature and mountains that motives one so much. “One needs to love nature and care for it as well,” he says, “you need to very passionate about it”. It is not about acquiring something in return, it is simply about taking pleasure in what you love and prefer to carry out in your being, rather than wasting time on something else which has no worth in your life.
A journey to remember
As great the success must have felt, the journey was even more exciting when venturing into the mountaineering sites of Nepal. “Initially we decided for a 65days expedition, but we completed it in 57days,” tells Biswas, “We started our journey from April 1 and reached the summit on May 17.We were back by May 25. Initially, we planned to climb for the mountain through the Rongbook Glacier, north East Ridge route in Tibet, but we had to climb up from the traditional Kumbu Glacier, south East Ridge route in Nepal.” The Chinese authorities refused climbing permit a day before we started our journey. “So, we had to switch to the Nepal route,” says Biswas. Describing his journey to the Sagar Matha, Biswas says, “We flew from Kolkata to Kathmandu on April 1. There we completed our paper works and after 4 days we set off to Everest from Lukla. On our journey we had to pass the Dudhkosi River, which lead us to the Sagar Matha Sanctuary Park. We continued walking taking the left path opposite the Amadalam Peak. Thereafter, crossing the juniper bushes we reached a place called Thokla. After that we left for Leboche from where we left for the peak.”
The team comprised of seven members, including two Sherpas: Pemba Sherpa and Pasang Futer, and three other Indian members: teenager Bhagyashree Sawant from Mumbai, Delhi High school student Arjun Bajpayee and Haryana school teacher Mamata Sodah. “They did not join us from Krishnanagar. We met on the way but, we were given the climb permit together,” recalls Biswas. However a mountainous expedition has its own thrill and excitement and the sightseeing experiences may conquer unique aspects that could be a great discovery: “We came across different kinds of birds, birds which cannot be seen on the plains”.
Soaring spirits
When asked what kept his enthusiasm alive for 2 months, Biswas says, “It was the love and affection of the people we met there. It re-energized our spirits. Without their encouragement and support this great achievement wouldn’t have been made possible.”
Sinha Roy recounts his own inspiration, “One cannot climb unless he or she has the true urge and potential to do so”. He started climbing way back in the 1987, with rock climbing and trekking and then gradually shifted to mountaineering. According to him, “A systematic approach is a must for any sport, and mountaineering is no exception to this.” He further adds, “Techniques, like in all other sports, is very important here; after all, mountaineering is also an adventurous sport”. It just goes without saying how audacious and thrilling this sport is, but along with that it also entails the life risk factor, for which he comforts by stating, “I never had the fear of death when it comes to mountaineering, as no one guarantee on life in any case”. Moreover, he also says from his 23 years of experience that in case of chances of accidents, 80 per cent of them take place due to panic and nervousness, whereas only 20 per cent of them are due to serious problems like any natural disaster or any such physical disturbances. “Whatever might be the conditions, when you are up there, you should be confident enough to take command over the situation. One can never achieve anything without having to face the danger,” he concludes. Almost certainly, only those who take up the menace of going so far, can perhaps discover how they can go.
When asked about the memorable moments of his journey towards the highest peak, Biswas recollects the moments at the base camp: “The base camp was the hub of activities. Apart from sleeping, eating and cooking, it was a place for ‘full time-pass’ with team members, from gossip to playing cards.” The day decided for scaling the peak was May 16. However, due to strong winds, it had to be delayed by a day. Yet on May 17, the 2 month long journey culminated as the Indian flag was very proudly waved on the highest peak.
Veteran climbers
Vasant Sinha Roy has already led more than 20 mountaineering expeditions, in which the team has successfully climbed 18 peaks. It is his vast knowledge and experience that has made his biggest dream come true: “Although climbing the Everest was not unusually difficult, as I have climbed much m o r e f e r o c i o u s mountains in the past; but still, once you are at the top of it, it just feels out of the world”. Undoubtedly so, if one has the proper mountaineering trainings and exposure to the high mountains for sometime then the person can risk it. We all think we know what is it to climb up the Everest, but the person who has experienced it all by himself says, “Nothing can compete the Indian Himalayas. They are unique in their own way, and I am very proud to be an Indian especially in this aspect”.
Biswas on the other hand has a mountaineering experience of about 15yrs: “I started it from the year 1995 when my interest grew towards trekking. Conquering Everest was another experience for me and I didn’t fear at all for it is a part of my passion now.” An expedition in the mountains is nowhere spared from dangers. One has to risk his life to attain success in heights.”
Funding is a challenge
The adventure and thrill apart, one major obstacle in the way of such a tremendous undertaking is to arrange for the requisite funds. Sinha Roy estimates an expense of about ‘ 1 million per person. “The permit alone costs $70,000 (‘ 3.22699613 million) for a group of 7 members,” quips Biswas, “Then the air fare, equipments, accommodation and food adds up to about $ 35,000- 40 000 (‘ 1.61349806 to 1.84399779 million) per person. Therefore our total expenditure for 5members was ‘ 3.5-4.0 million.” Lamenting the lack of support for such activities, Sinha Roy says, “Since mountaineering is a kind of adventure sport which does not have any spectators, sponsors do not show much interest in sponsoring the fascinated mountaineers.”
However a proud Krishnanagar set up a campaign to raise funds for its first boys to scale the highest mountain and the MAK played a major role in fund raising.
Get, set and go!
When asked about his secrets which led him achieve an international success, Biswas shares, “I do a lot of running on mornings and evenings to keep my body fit. A proper healthy diet and a weekly body massage is also needed to keep your muscles active.”
For future aspirants who really want to follow their passion, Sinha Roy informs, “One can first start with formal training in rock-climbing or trekking and then shift to mountaineering, as the initial formal training is a must. Then you can join different teams for expeditions”. He also mentions about the physical fitness essential for such expeditions, like maintaining a proper diet, sleeping on time, avoiding much stress, running, and of course regular exercise.
Final words
People like Vasant Sinha Roy and Debashis Biswas stand out in a society which prefers playing it safe, always wary of getting out of the comfortable cocoon of routine. “Nothing is impossible if you have pure dedication. You should make your target clear, and be dedicated towards your passion then you can see you have conquered your fear and your passion bearing fruits,” concludes Biswas. “Go for it, if you feel that you have it in you,” quips Sinha Roy and signs off.
