Trekking escapades

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“It required a lot of physical and mental preparation like constant selfmotivation. I had to mentally compete with myself, and keep improving upon my fitness levels, etc. That being said, scaling Mt Rudugaira has given me lot of satisfaction and has shown me that I can accomplish new challenges,” he shares.

THE CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Munagala Pranavi, a Grade IX student from Chaitanya School, ECIL, had to apply for two weeks’ leave from school to set off for her maiden expedition. And despite initial challenges of trying to convince her parents, Pranavi’s school principal and her coach were very encouraging.

As a part of her preparation to scale the mountains, Pranavi tells us she jogged a lot and did several breathing exercises. “I am a National-level swimmer, so I did not experience much difficulty,” she tells us while pointing out that seeing people with masks and constantly sanitising during the trek was certainly surreal.

But what Pranavi seems to have taken back most from the trek is the memory of people she met there. “I met many people and got to experience various new cultures, traditions and food. Even the Sherpas we met during the trek were so hard working. All these gave me a first-hand experience of what I’ve learnt in books about cultural diversity,” describes Pranavi.

A HUMBLING EXPERIENCE

Devyani Haldar, a scientist at the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, was also part of the maiden expedition after the lockdown to Mt Rudugaira. An ultramarathoner, Devyani swears by her love for nature and the mountains. “I was sick of the lockdown and thought trekking would give me the much-needed energy to rejuvenate and get back to work with a renewed spirit,” says the 49-year-old. Then sharing her thoughts on how one cannot stop those who love to travel, she points out how COVID19 has ensured that most tourist places are empty. “There is an added calm, which doubled my joy,” she adds, admitting that this was a tough challenge.