Members of the team
Retirement plans are often dreamy. Travel, leisure, relaxing with family dominate the agenda. Adventure seldom finds space as many of us think that age would be a constraint. But for those who have lived a life laced with risks, adventure is what they always seek and age is never a barrier.
Proving this point is a group of 50 plus women mountaineers who are all set to embark on a challenging journey this year. It was to this purpose that a meeting chaired by Bachendari Pal-the legendary mountaineer and first Indian woman to scale Mt. Everest, was first held at Dehradun in 2020. Those who attended included a few who were a part of the first Indo-Nepalese Women’s Expedition to scale Mt. Everest in 1993. As the pandemic struck the plans had to be kept in abeyance.
Two years later, the final brainstorming and preparatory camp for The Fit@50+ Women’s Trans Himalayan Expedition 2022, was held on January 5-2022 at the Gyan Bharati Skill Development Centre-Wardha-Maharashtra. The destination was chosen as the Centre is run by Bimla Negi and her husband Avinash Deoskar. Bimla, an acclaimed mountaineer and instructor was also a member of the 1993 expedition and will also be a part of this one.
The three-day camp was abuzz with activity as the ten-member team under the guidance and stewardship of Bachendari Pal gave final touches to the expedition which will be flagged off on March 8-2022.
Organised by Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) and supported by Tata Motors and Tata Sports Club, this expedition will for the first time have participants in the age group of 50s and 60s from across India.
The team comprises of retired professional, mothers, and housewives. It includes three women Everest Summiteers. Ms. Bachendri Pal, Leader (67yrs- Jamshedpur – Jharkhand), Chetna Sahoo (54yrs-Kolkata-West Bengal), Savita Dhapwal (54yrs-Bhilai-Chhattisgarh), Bimla Negi Deoskar (54yrs-Nagpur Maharashtra) Shamala Padmanabhan (64yrs-Mysuru-Karnataka), Gangorti Soneji (62yrs-Baroda-Gujarat), Chaula Jagirdar (63yrs-Palanpur-Gujarat), Payo Murmu (53yrs-Jamshedpur-Jharkhand), Dr. Sushma Bissa (55yrs-Bikaner -Rajashtan) Maj. Krishna Dubey (59yrs-Lucknow-UP) are all seasoned mountaineers with extensive climbing experience.
Chatter and laughter echoed in the sylvan surroundings of Gyan Bharati Centre as the teammates caught up with their counterparts and exchanged notes on their recent doings. They also indulged in some adventure activities and a short trek to check and flaunt their stamina. “Once a person crosses the 50 mark, life begins to take a slower pace as people feel they have to prepare for their retirement. We felt the need for this activity as it will show all those above 50 -especially women, that age is never a bar for taking up challenges. We are sure that this attempt will provide motivation to the youth too,” observed Bachendari Pal.
Dedicated to 'Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav,' the five month long FIT@50+ Women’s Trans Himalayan Expedition ’22 will take its members from the East to West of Himalayas. Starting from Bomdila village in Arunachal Pradesh, it will end in Leh a distance which is approximately 4,500kms. Part of the route will be covered by road. “This expedition is not for creating records though it’s the first time that such an event is being organised,” Bimla told me.
The enthusiasm was infectious at the Centre as the women discussed the routes, logistics and probabilities of the expedition. The presence of a legend-Bachendari Pal, who would be helming this expedition brought the Collector of Wardha district, Ms. Prerna Deshbhratar also to the venue. “Your generation of women are a source of inspiration for not just me but the current youth too,” she told them while hearing their accomplishments and fetes.
The expedition is designed to break stereotypes, influence existing mind sets, highlight the need to keep fit and demonstrate that age and gender are no bar to indulge in adventure and extreme tasks that test endurance, feels Shamala Padmanabhan another member of the expedition. “While it also lays stress on decision making and leadership,” she added.
It requires courage to plan an expedition as challenging as this one especially when one has done this previously, secure by the confidence of youth. This is an uncharted course for the team though most have been climbing and summiting some of the most difficult peaks in the world till recently. For Bimla “Age is no criteria for giving up what you like doing the most. These activities need to be taken up if one wishes to remain relevant right till the end” she says.
I sincerely hope this expedition becomes a symbol of women empowerment as these gritty women move ahead to capture the mountains not just by their sheer physical stamina but by also putting to use their determination and mental strength to scale new heights.
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