Despite having achieved the pinnacle of her career, Bachendri Pal tells Harmony-Celebrate Age she has many mountains left to climb

 
She has scaled unprecedented heights—literally. But Padma Shri and Arjuna Award winner Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to scale Everest, is equally comfortable on terra firma, tending her beautiful home and gardens in Jamshedpur, and mothering the many underprivileged children she has taken under her wing as part of her commitment to empower women. In fact, as she speaks to Harmony-Celebrate Age, you can hear them trying to grab her attention. “Can’t blame the kids,” she says with a chuckle, “I hardly get time to be at home.” Indeed, as head of the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation, Pal travels extensively to organise training camps in her beloved mountainous terrain. And driven by a need to motivate others to follow their passions, she is also in the process of writing a book—her second—on her own Himalayan adventures. Propelled by a sense of self-belief so strong it shines through every word she speaks, this 58 year-old says with utter conviction, “I can still climb Everest as many times as I want. It’s all about your mental outlook.” We couldn’t agree more.

IN HER OWN WORDS

After I scaled Everest, I realised I was chasing all the wrong things earlier. I learnt so many things education couldn’t have taught me. Every minute of the expedition was a lesson of its own where aspects like teamwork, awareness and disaster management assumed so much importance. My education only taught me to pass exams with good marks; the expedition taught me how to lead a good life. I discovered so much about myself in that one trip, my strengths and weaknesses. On 23 May 1984, I became the first Indian woman to climb Everest; it was the best gift I could have received for my birthday, which came a day later.

I want to chronicle every journey to let people know that nothing is impossible. I am in the process of publishing a book that will speak about my travels and achievements. It will mainly focus on the First Indian Women Trans-Himalayan Expedition, which was undertaken by an eight-woman team in 1997.

This was the first journey where civilians were allowed to participate. We trekked across 4,500 km via Siachen glacier. I can still remember the days that went into preparing for it. Those were exciting times and I have mentioned them all in my book. It speaks about everything that me and my team underwent in the seven-month-long journey.

It took me months to put a full stop to my last sentence. There was just so much to write! I am hoping the book encourages many more people to take up activities that interest them. I will release the book as soon as the editing process is complete. I am looking forward to it. My last book Everest, My Journey was published in 1988. I remember it being a huge success; many people were motivated by my experiences. The book was later republished in 11 different languages.

Everest 84 also helped me meet my role model, Indira Gandhi. As a student, I would see her come to my village for political campaigns. I was mesmerised by her aura, her presence and her passion. It was a refreshing change to look up to a woman who was out there pursuing her passion compared to the people I met daily in my village. Everybody in the village thought I was ‘risking’ my life with mountaineering; they would have rather seen me married. Indira Gandhi flagged off my event and that gave me a chance to meet her one-on-one. It was the most unforgettable day of my life. She also asked me to help other women pursue their careers and passions. I absolutely understood what she meant. I have had to compete constantly with men. And I have always believed that if a woman is strong, the whole country will be strong.

Some people call me ‘feminist’ but I am only trying to give women in India the opportunities they deserve. I have received so much in life; it’s time I give back to society. I take care of children who are not as privileged as you and I. I make sure they get the kind of education they need. At any given point of time, I have at least four to five girls staying with me. Sometimes I have 10 kids running around the house.

Taking care of a child is even more difficult than climbing Everest! After graduation, these kids decide their own future and I let them fly out of my nest. Times are definitely changing with women in India becoming increasingly empowered. But in a few areas, it is still an alien concept. Girls are still expected to get married and not have a career. I come from the same background so it makes me happy that I am giving back what I received.

My father is my hero; he taught me the meaning of strong will and determination. When he realised how important mountaineering was for me, he would help me practise by putting stones in my bag and making me climb. He came to Uttarakhand from a remote village in Uttar Pradesh and started his life from scratch. He had big dreams. After the border was open, he initiated cross-border trading and farming. His life was built on two pillars: honesty and hard work. One look at him and you know that any person who followed these virtues led a happy, satisfied life.

My childhood was a constant struggle against the norms and rules of society. We were a big family of two brothers and three sisters; I was the third child. Being conservative, my parents always gave priority to my brothers but they loved me. I was expected to stop studying in the eighth grade so my brothers could study further. But my sole ambition was education. My mother told me that girls should excel in housework, so I decided to do both. I would finish all the housework and then sit and study. For days, I toiled and struggled; finally, I was allowed to continue my studies. Again, when it came to higher education, voices were raised. But I was an excellent student and was taking my housework seriously. My brother managed to convince my father to let me study further.

I was an absolute nerd. Even though I played sports throughout my school and college life, I never gave them as much importance as education. I completed my bachelor’s degree in education in Uttarkashi. During those days, I was among the first few girls to have received a degree in my village; everybody was exhilarated. This acceptance enabled me to finish my post-graduation in the same subject later in Dehradun.

Unemployment was my first baby step towards mountaineering. Soon after all the celebrations died down, I decided to work as a teacher. Around the same time, my brother was doing a mountaineering course at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi. As I wasn’t doing anything, Colonel Premchand, who used to be a vice-president at the Institute, suggested I take up the course too. In 1981, I started the basic mountaineering course. I performed exceptionally well and discovered my love for the mountains, which grew with each passing day. I went on to complete my advanced mountaineering course.

A piece of paper changed my life forever. In 1983, I got a random letter from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation saying I was selected as part of a team to climb Everest. I simply stared at the letter with wide eyes. I didn’t know what to say and didn’t even reply. A few months later, I received a reminder asking me to respond if I was interested. I took the letter to my institute and asked them if it was a joke. Finally they checked the credentials and realised the letter was genuine. I also discovered that some very big people, including the legendary Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, who with Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to scale Everest, and Japan’s Junko Tabei, the first woman to have made it, were part of the process, and gave my assent.

Not even a near-death experience could stop me from completing the expedition. During our climb to the peak, a sudden landslide at Lhotse glacier left me and my team members horribly injured. We were scared and shaky. We were all taken back to the lower camp. The authorities took us for medical care and others were given a choice to stay or go back. I hid the fact that I had received a blow on my head; I covered the bruise with ice and pretended I wasn’t hurt at all. I couldn’t let something as petty as an avalanche ruin my dream trip. I could hear my parents saying, “Now that something wrong has already happened, it’s time for something good to come your way.” It gave me the courage to complete the trip. It taught me that taking one positive step forward makes everything possible.

I now get paid to follow my hobbies. I head the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation and they pay me to continue my expeditions. I am responsible for arranging and training leadership camps across the mountainous terrains of India. It’s nice to see more and more people looking at mountaineering as a form of sport rather than just a hobby. There needs to be a certain amount of awareness, which is slowly catching up in India.

My profession has also given me the chance to live a full life. Earlier, I was just about mountaineering; my conversation revolved around it. Now I take out time to do other things. I stay in a beautiful house that Tata Foundation has so graciously given me and spend most of my time gardening. That is another thing that soothes my restless mind. Obviously, with the profession I am in, it’s an occupational hazard to be fit all the time. I exercise regularly. Jogging and yoga form the most important regime in my fitness schedule.

I can still climb Everest as many times as I want. It’s all about your mental outlook. Factors such as age, gender or responsibility cannot deter you from doing something you want to. If you think you can do something, go ahead and do it. If a normal person like me can set out and do the things I did, I believe anybody can. Just believe in yourself.

BEYOND EVEREST

Bachendri Pal shares some other favourite milestones
“During my course of mountaineering I got a chance to mount Gangotri (21,900 ft) and Rudugaria (19,091 ft). Those were very basic climbs but the fact that I was a part of something so extravagant made me so happy. I even got employed at National Adventure Foundation after these expeditions.

“In 1993, I led an Indo-Nepalese Everest Expedition with an all-woman team. During those days, it was seen as a change in society; some sort of development. This is what I call true women’s empowerment.”

“I was a part of the River Ganga rafting expedition that began at Hardwar and went all the way to Kolkata in 1994.”

“It was a proud moment when I received an honorary doctorate from the University of Garhwal in the wake of all the work I have done.”

—Radhika Raje

Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
June 2012