A mighty mountain, a new feat

Nikita Sharma

When after a strenuous journey aimed at creating awareness on gender equality, Ajeet Bajaj (52) and his daughter Deeya (24) unfurled the Tricolour at the world’s highest peak last month, their conquest became special because they were the first father-daughter duo to do so.

Scaling Mt Everest (8,848m) with his daughter was the most fantastic, emotional, proud and memorable moment for Ajeet. He says he will cherish it for the rest of his life. He believes that as parents we need to encourage girls. “My daughters are the best thing that could have happened to me. They make my life so wonderful. We need to give our daughters a lot of love; we must encourage them to follow their dreams. Given care and love, girl power can take us places,” he believes.

Preparing for the grind

Mountaineering requires both physical and mental toughness, and to master that, they started training a year in advance. From swimming, running and working out at the gym, they did everything possible to be in good shape and level up their endurance. They also went on four expeditions — climbing Kang Yatse (25,500 ft), a mountain in Ladakh, in August 2017; a trek to Renjo-la (around 18,000 ft), Nepal, in December, where they met the Sherpas and bought their equipment. In January this year, they went to the Alps for ice-climbing and technical training; and in February, they went back to Ladakh for two-week training, where they luckily spotted a snow leopard too!

The many challenges

Scaling the mountain was tough, but descent was the most treacherous part, says Bajaj, adding that they had to be very careful as it required absolute concentration. One mistake and it could prove fatal. Other issues that surface at such great heights are extreme cold and altitude sickness. “One does not like to eat or drink, and sleep doesn’t come easy,” says Deeya. Her father adds: “There was a lot of pressure on me as having Deeya along meant ensuring her safety. At one of the camps, we faced a 50-60 kmph wind storm. We thought we’d be blown off the face of the mountain. Not only this, just an hour-and-a-half below the summit, my oxygen mask malfunctioned. The temperature was anywhere between -35 to -40 degree Celsius. I couldn’t breathe, but we had to keep pushing.” 

“After reaching the top, I saw the sun rising... and it was beautiful. My father reached 15 minutes later and our eyes welled up. In the end, it turned out to be a great experience,” says an elated Deeya.

Planning matters

“Doing a detailed risk assessment is extremely important,” says Bajaj, adding that he always has an emergency action plan in hand. Preparing in advance for a challenge like this plays an important role, especially in case of a contingency, says Bajaj, who always has a backup plan in case things don’t turn out as envisaged. “If you are mentally strong, physically fit and have a never-give-up attitude, chances are things won’t go awry,” he says.

Word of advice

“Try, try and you’ll know why. Adventure is a lot of fun. Take it up for a happy and fulfilling life, build up your skills slowly, go for some training in advance, venture out into the mountains carefully, have reliable equipment and guides by your side and follow all safety guidelines. Besides, go with a lot of diligence and planning,” he suggests.

Milestones

• An adventurer and explorer, Ajeet Bajaj is the first Indian to have completed the Polar Trilogy, which entails skiing to the North Pole, to the South Pole and across Greenland.
• With over 30 years of experience in adventure sports, he is the first Asian to have rafted and kayaked some of the most challenging rivers of the world spanning six continents. Ajeet was educated at the Lawrence School, Sanawar, and St. Stephen’s College, Delhi.
• He was conferred the Padma Shri in 2012 
• He has won a bronze medal in the national games for kayaking and one silver and two bronze medals in international rafting competitions in Switzerland and Siberia, Russia.
• A qualified mountaineering instructor from ENSA, France, he has climbed a host of peaks in the Indian Himalayas, Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), traversed Mt Elbrus (Russia ) and Aconcagua (22,850 feet ) in Argentina.
• He is also a certified rescue diver and a member of Global Sustainable Tourism Council, a UNWTO initiative.

FACTFILE 

Name: Ajeet Bajaj (52), Deeya Bajaj (24)

Feat: First father-daughter duo to climb Mt Everest on May 16

Inspiration: Parents, family and Sir Edmond Hillary, whom he met while he was the High Commissioner of New Zealand in India and then had the privilege of going on rafting with him on two occasions