Himalayan hamlet—80 km from Shimla. The
locals there told us that one usually found
snow on Hatu peak, about 10 km away, and so,
excited, we set forth. About half a kilometre
into the drive, we ran into two feet of snow.”
Kuntal recalls how Dipti and he played in the
snow to their hearts’ content, after which they
decided to venture a little further. Another
half hour later, they landed amidst giant
coniferous trees against a panoramic view of
the Himalayas.
When they finally reached Hatu peak, Kuntal
experienced a watershed moment of sorts.
“We quietly sat down and soaked in the beauty
and grandeur of nature. In that moment, all the
pondering over the past and worrying about
the future melted away. I was truly alive to the
present moment and clearly understood its
importance. I could hear my own breath. So
far, I had taken breathing—which is critical to
living—for granted, but this was the first time I
consciously inhaled and exhaled every breath.
I could hear every single heartbeat.” Kuntal
describes this as magical. “I was at peace with
myself and felt eternal happiness—a state of
mind that I had never experienced before.” In
that moment, he decided to pursue this surreal
but fully conscious state of mind for the rest of
his life.Lessons from the mountain
Few months down the line, he signed up for
a trekking trip to the Everest base camp.
Kuntal says, “After days of walking through
spectacular Himalayan landscapes, we
reached the Pumori base camp, which offers
an amazing view of Mt Everest. That was the
first time I came face-to-face with Mt Everest,
and it was truly humbling. Towards evening, I
witnessed the last light of dusk shining on the
Everest. The other mountains had faded into
the evening sky, but the Everest stood tall at
29,000 feet above sea level, a height at which
commercial airliners cruise.” Kuntal goes on
to describe this high point as so hostile that if
a human being were placed directly at the top,
he or she would not survive for more than two
minutes; the temperatures hover around -40
degrees Celsius and hurricane force winds
are constantly blowing. “So dangerous, yet so
beautiful,” he exclaims, adding that just as the
last light of dusk faded away, he found his life’s
dream—to climb Mt Everest!
Needless to say, the journey upwards was
far from easy. “I tried climbing Everest twice,
in 2014 and 2015, but both times, the climb
was cancelled due to natural disasters,”
says Kuntal. After these failed attempts,
many discouraged him saying, “The mountain
doesn’t want you there” and “You don’t have
what it takes,” but Kuntal was determined. “I
kept the fire inside me burning and trained
harder than ever. My family supported meEnvironment 69