NELLORE:“All his life, he aspired to be with nature and scaled unsurmountable mountains to prove his will power and never gave up this attitude. Today, he has become one with nature which he loved the most and stood as an inspiration to others. We are proud of him,” said Dr Dorasanamma, elder sister of Malli Mastan Babu, noted Indian mountaineer who was found dead in the snow-clad Andes on Argentine-Chilean border.
The sibling of the 40-year-old mountaineer said though her brother’s demise had saddened her entire family, it is happy that he had lived his life the way he wanted - to be with nature filled with full of adventure. Mastan Babu’s family is now planning to go to Argentina as the Indian Embassy officials in Chile informed them that it would take more than a week to recover the body of the mountaineer.
Dorasanamma, who spoke with the Indian Embassy officials on Sunday, said the Chilean authorities engaged in search and rescue operations had found the Indian National Flag, a copy of the Bhagavad Gita and a Rudraksha Mala, which Mastan Babu always carried with him, hidden among the rocks.
“My brother is a patriot to the core and always wanted to put the country’s name on top. He always inspired others with his deeds and words of encouragement. He was in the process of immortalising his journey across mountains in his book ‘Seven Summits’ and had even completed two chapters. Now, I will complete the book with the information he shared with me and his memories from others,” she said.
The 45-year-old medical professional wants to continue the legacy of her dear brother by creating awareness about mountaineering and adventurism among the people. “He always told me to come out of the walls of safety and explore nature, for the real lessons are there to learn,” she recalled.
Mastan Babu, who was an engineering graduate from IIT, was an alumni of Korukonda Sainik School, and it was at that school that he got the inspiration to be a mountaineer. The school had a statue of M Uday Bhaskar Rao, who had died while scaling Mount Everest. Mastan Babu was an avid reader of books on adventure penned by Rao. He scaled seven mountain ranges in the world and set a Guinness Book of World Record.
The ace mountaineer’s family is thinking of keeping his body, when it is brought back, at Sainik School, for a few hours. His sister says there are several memorabilia he collected from different countries while scaling mountains. “I am planning to set up a museum with them and other objects used by my brother so that they will continue to inspire others,” she said and added that he is always alive in his achievements.
Mountaineer’s Body to be Brought by Spl Flight
Hyderabad: A special flight is being arranged to bring back the body of Malli Mastan Babu, the ace mountaineer who was found dead in the mountain range along the Argentina-Chile border, to India. Speaking to reporters here on Sunday, Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the body would be flown to Chennai and from there to his native village in Nellore district. Naidu recalled his association with Mastan Babu and said, “I had felicitated Babu for his great feat. It is very unfortunate that a bright future has come to an abrupt end.” Another Union minister Bandaru dattatreya also mourned the death of Mastan Babu.
State Govt in Touch in Indian Embassy in Chile
Nellore: Municipal Administration Minister P Narayana said both Union and the State government are making efforts for bringing the body of the ace Mountaineer Malli Mastan Babu, who was found dead in the mountains on the Argintine-Chilean border. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has already held discussions with the Union ministers, he said and disclosed that the state government is in constant touch with the Indian Embassy in Chile through the Ministry of External Affairs. “We have learnt that inclement weather is creating hurdles in shifting the body of Mastan Babu to the base camp. As soon as the body reaches the base camp, it will be shifted to Chennai and from there to his native place in Nellore district,” Narayana said. He said Mastan Babu did Telugu people proud with his deeds and the government will extend all possible support to his family members.