Fund crunch: Uncertainty over mountaineer's bid to scale Everest

Ambika Sharma

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Solan, March 21

Baljeet Kaur, who become the first Indian woman mountaineer to successfully summit 7,161-m Pumori peak in Nepal, is battling severe fund crunch to climb Mt Everest. Hailing from a poor family, lack of funds is hampering her dream run.

A resident of the non-descript Panjrol village in Solan district, Kaur is facing anxious moments as the expedition for Mt Everest will leave on March 25 and she is yet to collect the requisite funds to be part of it.

Kaur said, “I’ve sent nearly 3,000 mails to various corporates in the hope of arranging Rs 25 lakh but have barely got Rs 8 lakh from two Solan firms — Shiwalik Bimetals and Meridian Pharma — so far. Though some firms have shown their keenness to provide funds, bigger help is required so that I am able to join the March 25 expedition.”

She was part of a 12-member delegation which had scaled Pumori Peak on May 12 in the Centre-sponsored “Mt Everest Masiff Expedition-2021”. Having failed to scale Mt Everest by a mere 300 m six years ago due to technical reasons in 2016, Kaur’s resolve to scale the world’s highest peak was bolstered by this first achievement. Her plans, however, appear to be in limbo owing to lack of funds.

Kaur developed interest in mountaineering while in school. Financial constraints, however, deterred her from pursuing this passion as it entails an expenditure of lakhs. Being the eldest of three siblings, she had the onus of supporting her family and did odd jobs to make both ends meet.

She joined the NCC after getting admission in the Degree College, Solan, where an opportunity came her way and she secured a berth in an NCC girls’ expedition to summit the Mt Everest in 2016. Though she missed the target narrowly, it provided the much-needed boost and the confidence.