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Footprints in sand
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Bachendri Pal has just entered the Limca Book of World Records for yet another feat
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On a desert trail Bachendri Pal sets another record
I have climbed too many mountains. But there is always a wish in the heart to do something new. So I thought of this desert trip,” says Bachendri Pal, India’s first woman to get to the summit of Mount Everest. Bachendri is referring here to the all-women Thar Desert expedition that she led early this year. The first such expedition on camel back by any civilian, it has recently entered the Limca Book of World Records.
“All the 12 members of the expedition were women. Some of them were housewives. I met a couple of them during my expeditions and all of them were keen to do something interesting, so I thought of the trip. On camel back, treading that gruelling route from the Rann of Kutch through the Thar Desert to the Wagah border, is not an easy task not only for women, even for men, so I salute all of them.”
Born in 1954, Bachendri was all of 30 when she scaled Everest. Now well into her 50s, she says her strength lies more in her mind than in her body. “If you have the will you can do anything,” she states. Well, who knows this better than Bachendri whose story is not just about someone who successfully completed many adventure trips. Hers is the tale of a woman who not only had to the fetters of a traditional society but also had to disprove those who often posed her the question after she climbed the first mountain peak: “Pahar charke kya milega? (What will you gain by climbing mountains?”
As a woman in adventure sports, she says she has had to face such questions at times. “Take the Thar Desert trip. At some point of time, we had to deal with the doubt, ‘Adhe mein chhor to nahin aaoge? (Hope you won’t leave the expedition half way)’. But she has a lot of praise for the Border Security Force which facilitated the 48-day trip. “All those from the Force were helpful,” she says.
Desert safari
Having never done a desert safari, Bachendri and her group had to undergo three days of training at Bhuj. Starting from how to ride a camel, it gave them tips on how to handle the harsh weather, negotiate sand dunes, take precautions against scorpion and snake bites, etc. Ask Bachendri about the camel ride experience, and she says with a loud laugh, “My God!” As the camels get very lazy during summer, “the BSF suggested that we should do the expedition during winter. But winter is their breeding season, so it was difficult to control them at times.”
Not knowing what lies ahead thrills Bachendri. “When I was 12 years old, I climbed a 13,000-foot mountain just for fun. I had to spend the night there and it was so scary. Even when we did the rafting expedition, I didn’t know much about rafting. The trip to Siachen also had the excitement of the unknown. Not knowing the dangers sometimes helps,” she says.
S. B. P.
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