L a l a w r i t e s

  Thoughts It was a day full of emotions. I received a WhatsApp from Disha who shared a news article from The Tribune that Baljeet Kaur, the superstar mountaineer from India died descending from Annapurna. It was heartbreak to read the news. I choked. This was the same feeling I got last year when I learned that 29 trainees of the Advanced Mountaineering Course of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering were missing in an avalanche at Draupadi ka Danda-2 peak. The news had sent shivers down my spine. It was an unbelievable sort of news. Similarly, the news of Baljeet’s death on the savage mountain was shattering. It was like losing trust in your belief system and questioning your intentions. It was a gloomy day until I read another article in The Himalaya Times that stated that the mountaineer was missing. It did not state anywhere that she was dead. I prayed that the news of her death is proved wrong. I searched Google for whatever information I could derive from it. There were co...

Anshu was the official team leader, but her presence was more like a guiding member. Bhargab and Tapas, our instructors from HMI, were managing the affairs. They were the ones who arranged the expedition right from the application stage at IMF till the finalization of porters at Chokh Doh. All the purchasing of ration, logistics, and equipment was led by Tapas and supported by his fellow climbers from Bengal. Despite knowing the fact, both instructors were acting as if the idea was unclear as to who would take decisions on the expedition. On enquiring from them as to what plans were made for the coming days, a silly reply could be heard each time that the question needs to be asked to the expedition leader i.e. Anshu. Such an attitude created a sense of frustration and anger in us. All the team was busy with last-minute shopping at Leh. This included buying clothes, renting gear, and purchasing important accessories such as headlamps, water bottles, and eatables. Leh is a popular des...

I had other commitments- packing my rucksack, collecting the technical equipment from IMF, coordinating logistics, wrapping things at home for 15 days off, getting the approval for leave, and preparing mentally for the expedition. I was able to complete most of the tasks but it took a toll physically and mentally which bothered me later in my expedition. Somehow I had the feeling beforehand that the climb was not going to be easy. However, I was excited to have the company of experienced mountaineer Anshu Jamsenpa (5 times Everest climber), Instructors from HMI, and other experienced mountaineers from Assam and Bengal who had good climbing experience. It was a fairly strong team and the task now was to form a bond to take on the challenge. From Left to Right: Aroop, Ninja, Priya, Disha, Manmeet and myself at Leh market The team reached Leh in parts. Some flew to the Leh airport and others took the route via road. The journey via road is a long winding one starting from Delhi to Man...

The expedition to Kang Yatse 1 and 2 It was a much-anticipated event for me being my first expedition of life post Basic Mountaineering Course and was an introduction to mountaineering. I had been preparing for the expedition after the BMC and was in a fix on whether I  would be able to make it to the team given my official obligations. Getting a leave for 15 days just 50 days after a month-long leave was a challenge. Surprisingly, I was transferred mid-year which displaced me from Gurgaon. Joining a new place, I was not sure if I would get the leaves on the set dates. There was no time to prepare physically and mentally. It was not even known if the organizers were sure about us joining the team as the sanction of leaves from work was to be the deciding factor. It was a tough call to take. All the haphazard planning and anticipation culminated in getting leaves sanctioned on time. For Manmeet, it was not much of a hassle and she even got  her confirmation a bit earlier....

  On 04.10.2022, Tuesday, I received the shocking news of tragedy striking the Advance Mountaineering Course Sr. No. 172 of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. The whole batch of the course was hit by a f erocious avalanche as the batch was returning to Base camp after successfully summiting Mount Draupadi ka Danda-2. The event was the rarest of the rare accident hardly ever seen on that mountain.                28 trainees of the course got stuck under the massive load of avalanche debris. 10 were declared dead in the initial rescue operations and the others were un-traceable till the end of the day. The news was devastating. I was myself a student of the Basic Mountaineering Course 6 months back and had planned to join this very course serial number 172 in NIM. I could hardly digest the tragedy. How could this happen to a course that prepares you for mountaineering? As soon as I heard the news I felt as if my Basic mountaineering Course...