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Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, is scaling new heights as head of the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation
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Climbing a mountain is fraught with challenges. Sudden snowfall that wipes out a trekking route, or a ladder hanging loose as the crevasse it bridges becomes wider; these are par for the mountain-scaling course. But such unexpected crises have never deterred star mountaineer Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
"If one way is blocked, there are many others you can take," she says. "Any problem has more than one solution. For instance, when a stream has to be crossed and there is no bridge, you can form a human chain across it." Ms Pal, who currently heads the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation in Jamshedpur, has taken numerous routes around obstacles to the peak of success many times over in her almost 50-year-old life.
Her childhood was replete with dreams of a life that would take her outside the borders, literal and figurative, of her village in Uttar Kashi in what is now Uttaranchal. She remembers being filled with awe on seeing a newspaper photograph of athlete Geeta Zutshi with then prime minister Indira Gandhi. "The picture is still clear in my memory," she recalls. "I was amazed at how every household had read about this person while I lived a faceless life in my village."
Ms Pal's path to a meaningful existence began with the desire for higher education. As the third of five children in a family of modest means, this was no small ambition. The prevalent social opinion — that women ought only to be able to read or write a letter — did not help her cause either. "It was a challenge for my parents to raise us all. So there were breaks in my academic career, even though it was so important to me. After the eighth standard, by which time I could read and write sufficiently, my parents asked me to drop out."
During the one year she spent at home, Ms Pal amply proved her determination to continue her education. While she worked hard to complete household chores during the day, she caught up on her reading at night. "I was never among those who give up easily. I borrowed books from neighbours and read them. I sought help from a cousin who had studied up to her intermediate. I remember reading up on politics and, particularly, on science because I aspired to be a doctor."
Her elder brother, a champion sportsperson at the district level, was impressed by his sibling's drive. Having persuaded his parents to let her complete her schooling, he was pleased to see his faith in his sister justified. Ms Pal cleared her 10th-standard examination with marks that more than did justice to her determination.
Fate soon smiled on her again in the form of a laudatory letter from her school principal, exhorting her parents to allow the diligent and bright student to go further. The letter delighted Ms Pal's father so much that he wholeheartedly supported her endeavours from then on. She went on to secure her bachelor's and master's degrees.
But the credentials did not get her the break she had hoped for. The search for a job was in vain. To overcome this obstacle, Ms Pal enrolled for a BEd degree course. But that was before the major point of inflection in her destiny, when she took a vertical leap by joining the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. Ms Pal had already made many forays into the mountain forests when she was growing up. Acquaintances often asked her why she needed formal training when she was already a pahadi. But taking up mountaineering as a profession gave her new eyes to view the familiar landscape.
"I realised that mountaineering was not just about going into the mountains. It was about studying and observing them. Mountains make one realise where one stands in the larger scheme of things. You are like a tiny ant up there. I have even seen dead bodies strewn around on Everest. For me the mountains are a power, a principal. Before I begin a trek, irrespective of the height of the mountain, I always bow my head to it in deference and humility.
"Climbing a mountain is also a journey into your self. When you are at the top, it is actually your doubts you have conquered. Also, in the mountains there are no distractions. The hostile environment, extreme climate and hardships induce you to have a dialogue with yourself. You can see your weaknesses and flaws; you also realise your strengths."
Among Ms Pal's definite strengths have been her positive attitude and determination. On her first trek to Everest she faced a hurdle of no mean size. At 24,000 feet an avalanche buried the entire camp and she was injured on her head. The group, all males except for her, had been greatly disturbed by this misfortune. All of them decided to head back home after the miraculous escape.
But not Ms Pal. She rationalised that she had survived and was not likely to face another accident so soon after this one. She trekked ahead and went on to become the first Indian woman to conquer Mount Everest.
The odds against making it to the top lay not only in the tangible tough terrain, but also in the intangibles of the mind. "Women are perceived as weak and fragile, no matter what the profession. This challenge is heightened when you want to climb a mountain because you have to equal men in fitness and performance. Also, men indulge in positive discrimination sometimes. They think it is your privilege to take it easy. Then, later, they may taunt you for being less than equal. If male counterparts ask me to stay back while they go ahead, I assert myself. At such times it is not about Bachendri Pal, but of all womanhood."
This is not the only way she fights against stereotypes. For instance, she has realised that if she is part of a mixed gender team, the decision-making and planning most often lies with the men. So one of her most memorable expeditions was the Indo-Nepalese all-women team she led in 1993. "To see other women reach the height I had once reached was a big achievement for me."
Ms Pal believes that everyone has fears and anxieties. But the way one deals with these fears is an expression of the level of one's motivation or inspiration. She remembers making all kinds of excuses to wriggle out of an offer to do white-water rafting recently. "I even told them that this was my time to teach and not indulge in adventure myself," she laughs. But as the team was international, she finally relented to save face for the country.
As soon as her canoe hit the rapids, it turned turtle and she was thrown into the water. After screaming for dear life, she realised that the life jacket would save her from drowning. Once she had gained this confidence, she went on to master the new sport. Today Ms Pal feels that adventure leads to self-awareness and teaches people to trust themselves. She finds it particularly relevant for the trainees at Tata Steel who attend the courses at the Foundation.
Ms Pal believes that leading a team is very much like running a company. "You need a CEO and departments for equipment, ration and communication, among other things. The goal has to be achieved in a certain time frame and within budget. The team should make sure that the resources and energy are used optimally. You don't want to lug excess load to great heights and then realise you don't need it. You also need skills for disaster and people management. The leader has to think on her feet and plan against uncertainties. One wrong decision and you could be dead. It is very much like a company in the business environment of our times."
In the courses at the Foundation, participants are taught team formation, leadership styles, risk-taking and creativity. One of the exercises entails using bamboo and tubes to improvise rafts to take the teams across the lake. Ms Pal considers herself lucky to have been able to share all her learning through this unusual platform that Tata Steel has provided her with. "No other company has a full-fledged department for adventure. The management at Tata Steel is enlightened enough to see its relevance."
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