NEW DELHI: FOR 19-year-old Indu Bhaurao Kannake, scaling the Mount Everest was only secondary although she was very close to achieving it. Indu, one among the 10 tribal students, who were selected to scale the world’s highest peak as part of the Mission Shaurya initiative of the Adivasi Vikas Vibhag of the Maharashtra government, chose to scale down the peak instead, to save a fellow climber from Andhra Pradesh.
However, Indu does not deny the initial regret she felt at losing the opportunity to reach the summit. After all, she had her eyes set on climbing the top and she had done everything to make it possible — from convincing her farmer parents, going through the rigorous physical drill to the tedious training process.
“But the feeling of having saved someone in distress was much more fulfilling,” says Indu.
Like Indu, each of her team members from the Ashram school in Chandrapur district has their own story — five of who successfully scaled the Everest in May.
Eighteen-year-old Kavidas Pand Katmode recounts the thrill he experienced when he put the Indian flag and his tribal flag after upon reaching summit on May 16. “After climbing to the top, the first thing that came to my mind is how proud my parents will be. The months that I have spent training for this expedition also came back to my mind in a flash.”
Raja Dayanidhi, CEO, zilla parishad, Gondia, says the students were assessed through a five-pronged process. The process involved rounds of physical assessment, medical screenings, consent from guardians, followed by rock climbing sessions and other activities.
“The more I climbed, the farther it looked. It was a thrilling feeling when I put the country’s flag and the tribal flag up there,” says Umarkant Suresh Madawi.
What binds these students now is their new-found zeal for mountaineering and their aspiration to establish themselves in their choice of profession.