Mt Everest adventure ka Olympic hai, says Haryana cop Anita Kundu after summitting the highest peak thrice

“Main adventure ki khiladi hoon,” says Haryana Police sub-inspector Anita Kundu, who is scaling heights, quite literally. She conquered the Everest for the third time on May 21, this year. She had earlier scaled it from the China side in May 2017 and from the Nepal side in May 2013. But this time around, Kundu led a 14-member team, comprising climbers from the US, the UK, and China.

Kundu, 30, says, “Taking the team and bringing them back safely was an experience of a lifetime for me. Earlier, I used to go as a climber, this time I was a leader. Mount Everest adventure ka Olympic hai!”

This girl from Haryana fought an early marriage to become a mountaineer, and is shouldering her family’s responsibility today. “I’m from a farmer family, and wanted to become a boxer and win an Olympic medal. But that didn’t materialise as, when I was 13, my father died. Us sapne pe break sa lag gaya (That dream met with a roadblock). Everyone wanted to get me married but I put my foot down! Haryana mein pressure hota hai, ladki ne virodh kar diya toh bahut badi baat ho jaati hai (It’s a big deal in Haryana if a girl raises her voice to counter the society),” recalls Kundu.

She wishes to keep her love for thrill alive, and says, “Adventure is no mean feat. There are challenges at every step… earthquakes and storms. Prakriti apna roop dikhaati hai toh kisi ko bhi nahin dekhti (When Nature unleashes itself, it doesn’t spare anyone). My experiences from the last summits kept me safe. One has to keep themselves motivated and active at all times.” And to keep herself inspired, Kundu turned to poetry by late Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Kumar Vishvas. “Jab bhi koi samasya aati thi, main unko yaad karke apne aap ko motivate karti rehti thi,” she says.

Mention how a recent picture of a queue of climbers near the mountain top shocked many and Kundu says, “Yeh Nepal government ki sabse badi galti hai, anubhavheen logon ko permit diya (It’s Nepal government’s biggest mistake; inexperienced climbers were given a permit). They became a threat to the experienced climbers, too. Some people had no rhythm in walking and weren’t aware of their capacity to climb. Itni thand mein aap ruk gaye to ruk gaye (If you stop walking in such cold weather, you’re stuck).”

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First Published:
Jun 12, 2019 17:21 IST

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