
PATHANAMTHITTA: A bucket list that includes hitchhiking, travelling solo, and scaling mountains like Kilimanjaro may not be easy to pull off for a middle-aged married woman who also helps her husband run an educational institution. But Tiruvalla resident Seena Majnu’s steely resolve has seen her find the time and the energy required to nurture her passion.
Last April, she trekked to the base camp of Mount Everest, and in November, she summited the 5,895-metre high Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania -- the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world. And now, she is preparing to climb Mount Elbrus in Russia, the highest mountain in Europe at 5,642 metres.
In her forties, Seena braved cold and acute mountain sickness, among other hurdles associated with hilly terrain, during the 11-day travel from Kathmandu to the Everest base camp. “Acclimatisation is a challenge. However, besides following your passion, going into nature’s lap and finding solace there is also a healing,” she tells TNIE.
She undertook the climb to the base camp, at 5,364 metres, after a year of training. There, she met many people from across the globe, who inspired her to do the Seven Summits.
The Kilimanjaro trip, she says, changed her perception of Africa as it was the safest journey she has ever had. “The people there were so friendly,” she recalls. An advocate turned educator, Seena married Majnu M Rajan in 2007 and has since been associated with the management of National College, a tutorial college run by her husband in Tiruvalla. Though she had enrolled as an advocate in 2014, she is not practising now because of time constraints.
Shuffling household chores and office hours, Seena maintains her fitness through long walks and regular gym workouts. While conceding that taking time out to nurture one’s interests is difficult for women as they have to prioritise many things, the climber says it is not difficult to convince family members through open communication. “I was initially apprehensive of Seena’s solo trips because of safety concerns. But her determination, courage, and passion made me stand by her side. She can manage things by herself and is an inspiration for other women,” says Majnu.
Seena got hooked to trekking seven years ago, starting off with solo trips to nearby places. Later, she started travelling to hilly states like Utharakhand and the ones in the northeast. After covering the Valley of Flowers, Kedarkantha, and several other mountainous places, her interest grew as high as Mount Everest.
Sharing one of her experiences during a solo trip to Nagaland, Seena says she lost her way to Kohima after attending the famous Hornbill Festival. As darkness set in, and without enough money for a taxi, she was stuck in a village near Dzükou Valley. While hitchhiking, a truck driver helped her reach the railway station without taking any money from her.
“When your conscience is clear, nothing will happen to you. Nothing should stop a woman from pursuing her dreams. Women feel inhibited with regard to going on solo trips, especially after marriage and childbirth. But I’m happy to share that my humble missions have inspired several women in my locality to pursue solo trekking and to find their passion,” Seena says.