CHENNAI: Being a part of prestigious institutions like NIT-Jamshedpur, IIT-Kharagpur and IIM-Calcutta is in itself a huge feat. But Malli Mastan Babu made a life altering decision by opting out of placements at IIM-C to go climb mountains. So when he didn’t make do with the ordinary in his academic life, why settle now? He aimed at attempting the Everest after doing research and undergoing training. He went on to become the fastest seven-summiter by scaling the highest peaks of the seven Continents in 172 days — a record that still stands.
The youngest in a family of five, he hails from the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh. The 37-year-old says, “ I had no considerable experience in mountaineering as I made the decision to climb the Everest after completing my PGDM at IIM-C. I had only done introductory treks to Himalayas for fitness, but then I began to prepare for the summit after doing theoretical research about the mountain and, determining what it takes, I prepared a road map to attempt it. I underwent training and gained sufficient experience by attempting smaller peaks and raising the altitude bar and the goal of progressively approaching the Everest with a 6,000m peak, 7,000m peak and then the Everest itself.”
“I was returning from the Everest base camp trek in April 2004 and had the opportunity of reading the book Seven Summits. I was excited and guessed that no Indian must have attempted it and soon began thinking about becoming the first Indian to do the seven summits and researched about it. In January 2005, I summited Kilimanjaro in 3.5 days. And in February. I was forced to attempt Aconcagua 6962m in 10 days as I was issued only 15 days transit to Argentina even though I requested for a regular tourist visa with at least 30 days. I summited and descended Aconcagua in 10 days. Both these climbs gave me the confidence to think about attempting — Fastest 7 summiter.”
Though the genesis of his decision was to eventually be able to start an institute offering leadership and personality lessons, the mountaineer in him made him dream of scaling many peaks across the world. This led him to achieve many firsts to his credit — the first South Asian to summit most of the highest mountains in the Andes range, which has the highest peaks of South American countries, only south Asian to summit highest volcanoes of five Continents. Only the volcanic summits of Antarctica and Oceania are remaining. “I want to see the Indian flag fluttering high on the summits.” His chief challenges included having no mentor, international travel challenges in terms of language, cultural differences, preparing the body to climb and raising funds.
He says to youngsters, “Have dreams in whatever field you choose, to experience a better life. I like to have a purpose in the dreams or projects I embark upon by giving it sincere effort and time. I am also looking for inspiration around the world from everyone so as to live a contented life.”
Highest peaks are: Mount Kosciuszko in Australia, Mount Elbrus in Europe, Aconcagua in South America, Mount McKinley in US, Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mount Vinson in Antarctica, and Puncak Jaya in the Australian continent
Toughest climbs: “I have a few memorable climbs such as Mt Everest, Vinson Massif (Antarctica’s highest peak), Mt Shasta solo winter ascent in California and the South American Andes mountains.”
Most memorable climb: Everest when climbing along the summit ridge. The climb for the summit begins around 9pm in the night and progresses through the night. It was at 7am that I reached the summit. I watched the sun rise and transition between the night to day. It was spectacular.
Tips for aspiring climbers: Good physical fitness is the beginning. One can raise fitness and stamina by undertaking running. And the first steps for mountaineering begins with exploring the neighborhood wildernesses such as small hills and forests at a nearest location. Later, participating in some of the adventure programmes organised for two or three days as introductory programmes helps. And later, undertaking some beginners’ treks in the Himalayas spanning five to seven days aimed at reaching a maximum altitude of about 4,500m. One must also undergo training to get snow and ice climbing experience. As opportunity comes, one may aspire to go for the mountain summits. Research and studying about the mountains being attempted as well as about the earlier expeditions undertaken will serve as vital information for better decision making in these expeditions.
— preethi@newindianexpress.com